Breaking Blood
by SWW6672
Summary: OC character A familial slaughter, twisted families, hidden ties, and forgotten lies. Three girls will have to find out that their lives aren't what they believed they were. Their family isn't what they believed it was. One woman, standing above, decided to destroy everything they ever knew, and throw them into a deep, dark abyss that leads them down a long, twisted road.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Deep breathing, comfortable. Almost asleep. . . . Oh, I was so comfy. . . . Things started to get blurred, and I started to spin headlong into sleep. . . .

My bed jumped, once, twice, and a voice yelled, "Oh, my Gods, wake up! We're in trouble!"

I shot up, blinking, eyes blurred, mind fuzzy. "W-what!?"

Two grinning faces caught my attention. Silverstar was bouncing excitedly on my bed. "Hey, hey, hey, it's time to get up! Time to get up and go!"

I blinked. "I just got to sleep. . . ."

"Yea, well, c'mon! We gotta go."

"Where are we going?"

"Papa wants to take us on a walk. C'mon!"

I groaned. "Tell Papa I was just starting to get to sleep. . . ."

She bounced on my bed more, harder. "Wake up, wake up, wake up!"

Another groan. "Ahhh, I don't wanna. . . ."

"Mama says we got important visitors coming, too." Silverstar giggled. "She says we got to go to the ball tonight."

"Ugh," Sunny groans. "Yup, so if we want to have any fun at all today, we have to get up now and find a hiding place."

"If I help you find a hiding place, can I sleep?"

"Well, maybe. I dunno."

The doors opened. I groaned, but looked toward the door. Mama stood in the doorway. "Get up and get ready. Your father wants to take you on a walk through the village, and when you get back, you will have to get ready for the ball tonight."

"Mama," I complained, "I just got to sleep."

"No matter, Starlight. It's time to get up."

"Teach you to be up all night, won't it?" another voice sneered at me. Glancing over, I saw Kartwer standing beside Mama now. Where she'd come from, I didn't know. I probably missed her the first time. "Get up, lazy."

I wanted to sob. "Fine! Just . . . give me three more hours."

Sunny laughed, and I felt someone pulling my arm to get me out of bed. "C'mon, silly! We have so many things to do!"

"If I push you off my bed, will you go away?"

"Not a chance!" both Silverstar and Sunset chimed.

I groaned one more time and threw the blankets aside. "Fine, but if I end up with dark circles, you all suck." I padded toward my armoire.

"Starlight, no. Your gown was laid out in your bathroom. All of your gowns. Go get dressed, and meet us downstairs."

I groaned again as my doors shut. Casting a glimpse around my Starstone imbedded, black-painted room, I sighed.

Sunset echoed my groan. "Gowns!? But we're just going on a walk through the village. How are we going to wear a gown if we're walking through the village?!"

"Oh, I hope they're pretty!" Silverstar jumped off my bed and ran to my east wall, reaching forward to press the special Starstone. The wall folded into the ground and Sunny and Silv disappeared into it.

I opened the double doors that led to my bathroom and went inside. Hanging on the wall hiding the shower from view was a pure white gown. I could already see it had everything with it, everything but a corset. Having already showered the night before, I used the bathroom, and got dressed quickly.

When I came outside, four maids were waiting for me. "Good morn, Princess. Did you sleep well?"

I shrugged. "No, not really. Why are you here?"

"To do your hair, Princess."

I walked toward my "beauty desk," as Mama called it, and sat in front of the mirror. The maids immediately went to work on me, pulling my hair every which way, yanking, grabbing, "styling." I watched my hair be put up in a tight, intricate bun, and watched myself wince and groan. Once they'd finished, I opened my drawer and pulled out four pieces of jewelry, giving one piece to each of them. Though Mama would yell at me, I always gave them trinkets for helping me. Even if I didn't want helped.

They smiled, thanked me, and we left my room. Silverstar and Sunset were waiting outside. Sunny had her arms crossed, and Silv was bouncing noticeably. "If you start going on and on about how this is awesome," Sunny said to Silv, "I'm strangling you."

"You can't strangle me," Silv said sweetly.

"Why not?"

"Because," she batted her eyelashes, "you love me."

I shook my head. "Let's just get going before Mama comes to fetch us."

"Oh, don't my little girls look lovely today!" The sound of daddy's voice made me smile before I even turned to see him. He jogged toward us, lifting all three of us in a giant hug. "You look beautiful, little ladies, but don't you think that's too much? It's just a walk through the village."

"Mama made us wear it, daddy," I snitched.

"You are old enough to call him 'Papa,' not 'daddy,' Starlight." Mama walked into view, carrying three hats. She was wearing a floor-length pink gown with a pink hat on her head. She waited for Papa to put us down before handing us each a hat. "Put the hats on. They will protect you from the sun."

I pulled the hat on, scowling from beneath it. "Mama, this is too much."

"Don't get those gowns dirty, ladies," she said, ignoring my words. "Silverstar and Sunset, you will be going with Papa and Kartwer after the ride. Starlight will be staying here with me."

"W-wait, what? Mama, you said we were going to the ball tonight." Silverstar stared up at her, pale blue eyes wide. "Mama, I don't wanna miss it."

"You won't, because you and Sunset are going to another ball. You will be going with Bolestrole, and Sunset will be going with your father."

"Why are they leaving? Why do I have to say?"

She gave me a look. "Starlight, is it so awful to be left home with your mother?"

"W-well, no, but . . . Sunny, Silv and I have never been separated before."

"Well, you are five years old. Don't you think it's time you spent some time apart? Sunset is going to Iwagakure, and Silverstar is going to Amegakure. You are staying here, because your guests are coming here."

"My guests?"

"I have invited two villages here. One is for you, and the other is for Kartwer."

"For me?"

"It's time that you meet your betrothed. At least, I believe it's time. Don't you?"

"M-my betrothed? What's that mean?"

"Silverstar, Sunset, and you have been contracted to be married. The contracts were signed when you girls were born. Starlight was contracted to a boy in Konohagakure. Silverstar to a boy in Amegakure. And Sunset to a boy in Iwagakure."

"M-married? B-but we're too young!"

"You're just betrothed right now, Starlight. Not married. You probably won't be married until sixteen."

"Your mother and I have a disagreement on this one. I want to wait until you're twenty-one. She wants you to be wed at sixteen."

"But I don't wanna marry anyone."

"Well, Starlight, you don't get to make that decision. You're just a child." Kartwer gave me a dirty look. "Now, are we going on that walk, Mama?"

"Yes, Kartwer. Let's go, dear."

I glanced at Kartwer, knowing not to stare too long at her. She was wearing a floor-length, low-cut golden gown. I followed Papa toward the double doors on the other end of the hallway. The door led to the small alcove on the balcony above the grand entrance. Papa moved the curtains so we could go through it, and I found myself leading the way down the left staircase. I tripped over the end of my gown and, with a growl, picked up the edge to finish the walk downward.

Sunny glanced at me, and I recognized that look. The shared, "I hate this" look. She let out a small sound, and whispered, "This is horrible."

Silv came up between us when we reached the ground, linking arms with both of us. "I don't wanna leave you. Maybe we can stow away in a cave or something. Then we don't have to go away."

"I'm sure the Dragon Cave is somewhere we can hide. What do you think?"

"Mama, we are going in the carriage, right?"

"Right, dear. It's already pulled around, so we don't have to wait." Mama stepped around us to the door, Papa following her.

He opened the door, stepping through quickly. He didn't wait for us to follow through before he started jogging down the stairs toward the carriage.

As always, I counted the stairs going down. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty. Papa, Mama, Big Brother, then Kartwer went into the carriage. Sunny went first, as the oldest triplet, then Silverstar, and, lastly, I climbed in.

The carriage started moving. "What's the plan, Father?" Bolestrole asked, looking over at him.

"We're going through a short ride through the village before the ball, just to be sure everyone knows it's tonight."

I stared out the window, with Silverstar still clasping my arm. "I don't want them to go, Papa," I said finally, turning toward Mama and Papa. "How long will they be gone?"

"A couple weeks, at least," Mama answered. "And you don't get a choice in this, Starlight."

"Khris, it's okay. It's their first time being more than twenty feet from each other." He glanced at her, then met my eyes. "It'll be okay, Starlight. You'll have company here, so don't worry. It's not like you will be alone."

"Who? Mama doesn't let me go outside to make friends, so I'll be alone."

"Starlight," Mama gave me a stern look, "I told you, you will be meeting with your betrothed tonight."

"Being with a stranger is no compensation for being without my sisters."

"Starlight!"

I looked down, then out the window. "I don't want to be with some strange person while my sisters are hundreds of miles away."

"You've met him before, Starlight. He's not a stranger."

"How come I don't remember him, then?" I countered, still looking out the window.

"He was here when you were born, and he was here when he was a year old, and he was here once again when you were both three. That was the last time he was here. It's been a few years because we've been busy, and you were too young to really understand it. Now, it's time for you to really meet him in a way you will remember."

"I don't want to meet him," I muttered.

"Nonsense! You two were so very close. Remember when they shared her room, and she woke up crying, and he rolled over and hugged her back to sleep? Really, Starlight. When you meet him again, it will be like meeting an old friend. Every time he was brought here, you instantly were friends again." I knew Big Brother was trying to make me feel better, but it just wasn't working.

I shook my head. "If it was like that, I don't remember it."

"Well, you don't get a choice. You'll have to learn to get along with him." Kartwer was sitting on the other end of our side, next to Sunny, across from Father. "We all are betrothed for the betterment of our village, to create long-lasting ties. You will have to learn to live with it."

"Speaking of that, Bolestrole will be stopping by that village to check on the house we have been having built there. According to the last message I received about it, it was nearly finished."

"Oh, that's great. I can't wait to see it." Bolestrole clapped his hands together, glancing across to me. "I haven't seen it since we began the construction."

"We're building a small area for us in the outskirts of their village, so you have a place to go when you meet with your betrothed. He can't come here much, what with your father. . . . Well, you'll figure it out."

"W-what?"

"Starlight," Papa said softly. "We have taken down all the pictures of me around. I need you to make sure they stay down, okay? They of that village can never know I am your father. Please be sure to keep it that way."

"B-but why?"

"It's a long story, but just remember to keep them from seeing a picture of him. It is why your betrothed doesn't visit."

The carriage was pulling to a stop already, right in front of the stairs. I stared up at the white, pristine palace that was my home. Made out of special material, it glowed at night, to give people peace. The door opened, and the doorman stood there. "Milord, Milady, the first guests have already begun to arrive."

"Oh! Already? It's too early as of yet! I see you pulled around the other carriage. Good man. Girls, out, out. Quick! Sunset, you stay. Your gown is in the undercarriage, with the rest of the supplies. Bolestrole, take Silverstar to the second carriage, and you must be off."

Silverstar, Kartwer, Mama, and I climbed out of the carriage. I stared forlornly at Sunset as she sat in the doorway, reaching out to us. Silverstar and I clasped hands with her. "I don't want you to go," I told her.

"I still think we should make a run for it," Silv whispered. "We can do it, right? Just run?"

"In gowns?" Sunny countered.

"Girl, draw away. Come on." Mama grabbed Silverstar's arm. "Go with your brother. Go, now. We don't have time for foolishness."

Silverstar grabbed me in a hug, squeezing tight, and I squeezed back. "You be safe," she whispered, letting me go. Staring back at me the entire time, she made the journey to her carriage, Big Brother following behind.

I stood there, watching the carriages, until Mama yelled at me to go inside, to my room.

It wasn't long before I was in the middle of the ballroom, with people swarming around me, and I'd never felt so alone.

"Starlight, come." Mama gestured to me. She was standing next to a tall man, with reddish-brown hair. "We have something to talk to you about."

Picking up the edge of my gown, I made my way slowly over to them. "Yes, Mama?"

"He has something to warn you about. Listen closely."

I looked up at him. "Yes, sir?"

"My son is wandering around here somewhere. My youngest. He is about your age. Stay clear of him. He can be very volatile. You'll know him when you see him."

"Your betrothed hasn't arrived quite yet, so go on, mingle. I'm sure you can find some friends." She waved me off.

I turned, walked away. "I want my sisters," I muttered. I found myself on the edge of the ballroom, where the couches and chairs were, and there was only one person sitting. He had his head down, and seemed to be sitting on his hands, kicking his feet. He was sitting on one of the white couches, on the very end. His crimson hair stood out against the white. He looked bored, and lonely, so I started to walk toward him to sit in the middle, about six inches from him.

He glanced up at me, eyes wide. It was a quick glance, and I was barely able to make out pale teal eyes lined in thick, black circles. He said nothing, but his entire body stiffened, and he stopped kicking.

"Hi."

He twitched. "Y-you're talking to me?" Now he turned to look at me, eyes still wide.

I nodded. "Why wouldn't I? You look bored."

"N-nobody talks to me," he said softly.

A shrug. "Well, I am. So, why are you sitting way over here? You don't wanna dance, either, do you?"

He shrugged. "I don't have anyone to dance with, and I don't know how to dance."

"Oh." I took another look at him, then glanced toward the man who warned me about his son. "Are you that man's son?"

A nod. "Yes."

I looked him over. "Why would he warn me about you? You don't look so scary."

"Because everyone thinks I'm dangerous."

"Well, I don't!" I thought about something, glancing toward the small alcove. It was empty, and dark. "Actually, wanna see something cool?"

He glanced at me. "S-sure."

I stood, walked away a bit, glancing back to see him. "Come on."

"Y-you want me to follow you?"

I nodded. "Yea. Come!"

He stood slowly, and followed me to the alcove.

I threw the curtain down so we would have privacy, and so it would be darker. Holding my hands up, I closed my eyes and focused on my power. I could feel it, deep within, in the center of my body. Warmth. It spread outward, filling me with incredible warmth, leaking out of my palms. Eyes opening, I saw a bright, white, glowing, spinning ball. It had little fragments of dust floating around it. I grinned at the awed look on his face.

"W-what is that?"

"It's a star! It's one of my abilities. Isn't it cool?"

He nodded, staring at it, mouth slightly open. "It-it's beautiful!"

I reached up around it, closing my hands around the ball, and crushed it to powder. The powder filled my hands. "Hold still, this might burn a bit. Okay?" A small nod, and I tossed some of the dust over him, over his hair, his face, his body. Lastly, I held my dust-filled hands across from each other, palms facing the other. Using my energy to control it, I made the dust float between my hands. "Put your hands through it, one at a time."

A nodded, reaching through first with his left hand, then his right, letting them become coated in the sparkling, still glowing dust. "It's so thin, and beautiful! And light! Not like sand at all."

I nodded, holding my palms upward. "Put your hands over mine. You don't have to touch me, just lay them over mine."

He nodded, reaching out, and lay his hands an inch or so over mine. "What are you going to do?"

"You're going to feel me pulling on your energy, but, trust me," I grinned at him, "it's worth it." I threw my Chakra around his hands, pulling on it, pulling it out, and merged it with mine as I created another star. It floated above his hands a couple inches.

His eyes were wide. His star was crimson. "O-oh, wow!" He started to move his hands away, and stopped when he saw the star following his hands. "I-it's following me!"

I nodded. "Yup. You made it! Well, I made it, but I used your energy to make it. It's your star! You can do whatever you want with it."

He stared at me. "Y-you're giving me a real star?"

I nodded. "Yup! But I gotta tell you. The reason I crushed the star before was because you can't touch the star without Star Powder on you. It will burn you, really badly. So I put Star Powder over you, so it wouldn't burn you. I can help you do two things, but it's up to you. Do you want me to turn it into a necklace for you, or do you want it in powder form?"

"Necklace! I don't want it destroyed. I want to keep it forever."

Another nod. "'Kay! I'm going to use the excess Star Powder from my star to turn it into a necklace, but I'm going to have to save a bit of dust off of it to make it smaller, and to change it, and use your star's powder to make it more suited to you. It'll change, but it'll still be the same. You'll see." I closed my eyes, manipulated the dust, shaving off the excess of his star. In my mind's eye, I could see it grow smaller, smaller, dulling the glow, and I could see the star powder forming an intricate, silver and crimson cage around it.

I heard him breathe, "Wow," but mostly, he was silent as he watched.

I formed a chain with the leftover powder and opened my eyes, smiling. Before me sat a still dully glowing crimson star held inside an intricate cage. The star stayed in the middle. "It'll probably always glow," I took the chain into my hands, lifting it over his head, "so if it bothers you, just put it under your shirt." I dropped it onto his chest. "Do you like it?"

He cupped it in his palm, staring at it with wide eyes. "I-I love it!"

I smiled. "It's yours. You can take it anywhere! What was your name again?"

"Gaara."

"I'm Starlight. Nice to meet you!" I held my hand out to him.

He smiled, reached forward and grasped my hand. For a moment, sand seemed to kick up around our hands, but it stopped. "Nice to meet you."

The curtain was thrown aside. Kartwer stood there. "Mama warned you not to play with him."

I glanced at him, then looked up at her, taking my hand away from him. "I like him. He's cool."

"Yea, well, Mama isn't going to like it." She shook her head, scoffed. "Fine. Get yourself killed. See if I care." She closed the curtain.

I looked over toward the redhead. "You wanna get something to drink? The food bar has juice on it."

A small nod. "Sure."

I stood, smiling down at him. "Too bad Papa's not here. He'd probably let us ditch to get ice cream. Hey, do you know what guest room you're staying in?"

He shook his head. "I know I get my own room, but I don't know which one."

"Well, I can ask Mama if she'd be okay with us bunking together, but I doubt Mama would like that. But if you figure out what room you have, I can come get you tonight and show you the Dragon Cave."

"Dragon Cave?"

I nodded. "It's a legendary cave here. It's really big, but really dark." I smiled. "You're not scared of the dark, are you?"

He smiled. "No way! There's nothing that scares me!"

"Good. I guess we'll see about that." I pushed the curtain aside, walking out of the small alcove, toward the food bar. "So, what kinds of foods do you like?"

"I like liver, and salted tongue."

I made a face. "I don't know if we have anything like that here. . . ." Glancing at each end, I took a seat, waving him to sit next to me. "Just ask the server for what you want, and he'll let you know if we got it."

He sat next to me, shifting his weight slightly when the server came. He repeated what he told me, and the server nodded, moving to me. I told him what I wanted, and he asked for drinks. We told him what drinks to get and he was off. He glanced at me, and I saw a small smile. "Thank you."

"For what?" I looked over to see him fiddling with the softly glowing star.

"I don't feel so alone anymore."

I smiled at him. "Me too. When my twins left, I really felt all alone, but I feel better now. I'm glad you came here. I really am." I grinned. "But I'm sorry you had to come for the ball. It's really boring here."

He looked away, shifting. "I don't know about that. I've had a lot of fun."

"Good!"

The server came back, placing our food down for us. He walked away without saying anything.

"Wait until later. Then you'll really be glad you came here." We ate mostly in silence, exchanging a few soft words every now and then. And I saw our escape. "Unless you want to go see the Dragon Cave now?"

He glanced at me. "Well, yea, sure."

I stood, gesturing him to stand, too. "Great. C'mon. We're gonna go to the bathroom. There are windows that lead out. We'll sneak out the windows, and I'll show you the Dragon Cave."

He stiffened, smiling. "Will that work?"

I nodded. "Just gotta make sure nobody's in there beforehand, so this is what you gotta do. You gotta go in there and tell the man standing in their that Queen Khris requires his assistance. I'm gonna do the same thing. Then we sneak out the windows. Got it?"

He nodded. "Yup!"

I snuck toward the female bathroom. The ballroom had two, one-person bathrooms, one for males, and one for females. There was a window in each bathroom. The bathrooms were a bit smaller than our personal bathrooms, but just like our own personal bathrooms, there was a wall keeping the toilet out of view. The window was on the far wall of each bathroom. I went toward the handmaiden. In the boys' bathroom, the maid was male. In the girls', it was female. I said, "Queen Khris needs your assistance."

She nodded, curtseyed and hurried out. Knowing she had the key to the bathroom, I locked it, went to the window and climbed out.

Gaara was waiting for me there. He smiled. "That was easier than I expected."

"Did you lock the bathroom?"

"No. I didn't want anyone being locked out of the bathroom."

"Just curious, making sure. The maid has a key, so I was just gonna let you know not to be worried."

"Oh. Good, then. Should I have locked it?"

I shrugged. "Doesn't really make any difference, but we have to run now. Quickly!" I took off toward the pasture, where we kept the horses. He kept up with me. "Have you ever ridden a horse?"

His eyes widened and he shook his head. "No."

"Well, you're about to! We can't get to the Dragon Cave walking. It would take too long." I could see the pasture gate coming up. "My horse just finished her training, so I'm not allowed to ride her, but we've got plenty of other horses." I jumped onto the gate, then over it. "Scared?"

He stood in front of the gate, staring into it, at the horses within. He shifted. "I've never been near a horse before."

I smiled, still standing on the opposite side of the fence. I reached over, holding my hand down. "Come on. I wouldn't let you in here if I thought you'd get hurt."

He looked up at me. "I know I'm not gonna get hurt." He hesitated, but reached up slowly to take my hand. His hand tightened around mine, and he climbed up the fence. I had the feeling he didn't need the help, because he was over it and back on the ground in seconds. He slowly let down at my hand as I jumped down.

Glancing around, I started leading him toward the barn, running as quickly as I could. The barn doors flew open before we got there, and I didn't put too much thought into it. Probably a handmaid behind the doors or something. When I was in the barn, though, I saw no handmaid. "Weird," I muttered, looking around.

The barn was huge. I always felt like I would get lost in it. Two floors, and huge. Since we had about thirty horses, I knew we'd be able to find the best fit for us both. I took a moment to think, and finally decided I was going to ride my horse. "You'll ride Papa's horse. His horse is very well trained." A moment passed, and I changed my mind about riding my horse. "I'll ride Big Brother's horse." Grabbing a saddle from the tack room, I handed one to him, and picked up a saddle blanket, and a bridle. Piling that on top of his saddle, I grabbed bridle, a saddle blanket, and a second saddle, and turned to lead the way toward the first horse in the row.

The first horse was Papa's. His horse was a light cream color with blue eyes. He had a light blue sheen to his color, too. "This one is yours, 'kay?"

He looked up at the horse over the pile of equipment in his arms. A small, uncertain smile. "Is it a girl or boy?"

"Boy. He's really old. My dad has had him since he was little, so he's really good." I set my stuff next to my Big Brother's horse. His horse was a dark brown horse with green eyes. I walked back over to Papa's horse, opening the gate. "Bring that in here. I'll show you how to do it."

He followed me in, and set the stuff in the corner where I told him to, bringing me the bridle.

I took it from him, and stuck my thumbs into Ceri's mouth, making him open it, then stuck the bridle into his mouth. "You stick your thumbs way back here," I showed him, "because they've got no teeth there. It makes them open their mouth, then you put the bridle in." I had him follow me back to watch me put the saddle on, showing him slowly how the strap went.

He watched, following my every movement. "Can I try?"

I nodded, unstrapped the saddle, and stepped back to let him do it.

Other than having to tell him to make sure it was tight, he managed to do it on his first try. He grinned. "I got it."

"Great! I'm gonna get my horse ready after you get on. Or you can wait to get on until after I get my horse ready. It's up to you."

He was petting Ceri's neck softly. "I'll wait, until you get yours. So you can give me tips."

"Do you want to come with me?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm good. I want to get to know this horse. What's his name?" He gave me a quizzical look.

"Ceri."

"Ceri. I like."

I smiled, going off to get Big Brother's horse, Lief, ready. "My brother's horse's name is Lief. I'll be right back, 'kay?"

He nodded, smiling at me. "'Kay! I'll be fine, no worries!"

I ran toward Lief's paddock, hurriedly getting him ready. Knowing that they'd likely have people out looking for us soon, I led Lief out toward Ceri's paddock, stopped him there, and went back into Ceri's paddock. "Do you want to lead him out yourself?"

He gave me a look. "Can I?"

I nodded, smiling. "Yup! Why not? C'mon!"

He grabbed the reigns as I turned, and I heard him leading the horse out of the stall. "So I just put my foot here," I glanced back to see him tap the stirrup, "and climb up?"

Another nod. "Yup. But you gotta make sure to hold onto the saddle horn and the reigns, no matter what! 'Kay?"

"'Kay!"

Jogging around to the left side of my horse, I grabbed the step stool. "Just watch me, then you can use my step stool." I put my foot on the step stool, reaching up to grab the saddle horn, reigns in hand already, and put my foot into the stirrup. Climbing up, I glanced over to see him already on the horse. "H-how?"

He smiled. "I just jumped."

Feeling silly for not thinking of that, I said, "That's not fair. I didn't think of that. Anyway, to get him to go, you swish the reigns, like a wave. To turn left, you pull on the left reign. To turn right, you pull on the right. To run, you just have to yet 'Hyah!' To stop, pull the reigns back. Got it?"

A nod. "Yup!"

I swished the reigns, and Lief began walking forward. "Follow me." The steady sound of clamoring hooves filled the air. When my horse started to run, his ran after mine. "Let me know if it gets to be too fast for you!"

He laughed. "No way! This is awesome!"

Him laughing made me laugh. "I know this is your first time on a horse, but are you ready to make your first jump?"

"My first jump?" He pulled up alongside my horse, giving me a look. "What do you mean?"

"The horses are trained to jump, too. I'm going to have them jump the fence, instead of stopping to open the gate."

He nodded. "Okay, sure. I-I think I got it."

"Great! Just hold on real tight, and sit more like this." I demonstrated, holding position, since I knew it would be needed.

Glancing at me, he copied my stance, holding on so tightly I saw his knuckles blemish. "Ready," he said softly.

"Great!" The fence was in view. "I hope you don't scare easy!"

"No way!"

I pushed Lief ahead faster, and Lief cleared the jump easily. The soft thumping behind me told me that Ceri cleared just as well. A quick glance backward let me know Gaara was still in the saddle. "Hey, you're doing good, for a newby!"

"Thanks! Um, I think?"

"You're welcome!" Again, the sound of hooves took over, but it wasn't uncomfortable. I could feel his mounting excitement. I continued onward, pushing Lief faster, knowing the Dragon Cave was within reach. I could hear the rushing water in it, and I knew the horses could, too. Lief whinnied, shaking his head. Even he was excited to get there. I checked to make sure the saddle bag was still attached to the saddle. It was, and I smiled. "How do you feel about a campout?"

"Like, staying out all night?"

I nodded. "Yup!"

"Yea, I'm in!"

"Awesome, because the Dragon Cave is right up there! It's still a mile or two, but it's really close! I can smell the water!"

"Why's it called the Dragon Cave?"

"Legend has it a Dragon once lived there, and laid eggs there. Legend says the Dragon's eggs are still inside, waiting for the right rider to hatch for!"

"Oh, wow! Can we look?"

I nodded. "Yup! I can bring another star out to use as a light. We can look all night!" Silence. Again. The Dragon Cave came into sight. The entrance had two long "fangs" that descended from the top, to the ground. They ended in points, barely touching the ground. I rode into the cave, jumped off, and he followed suit. Over toward the left wall, Papa had put a horse post. I tied Lief to it, patting him down, and took the saddle, saddle blanket, and bridle off.

Watching me closely, Gaara did the same. He walked over to me, rubbing his hands together. "So, what now?"

I grabbed the saddle bags, tossing one to him. "We explore." Holding one palm up, I focused on my core, bringing the warmth up, up, up to my palm. A white, glowing star found its way there. I glanced at him. "Ready?"


	2. Drowning

Uh-oh, I thought, listening hard. Hoof beats?

Gaara's eyes met mine. "Is that a horse? Did one of ours get loose?"

I shook my head. "No. If they did, they're trained enough to know to stay at the post until we get back." I glanced backward. "This horse is coming toward us."

He stared down the dark, damp, echoing cave. "Two horses," he said after a few minutes. "Two horses, two riders. One is about my age, and the other is older."

"H-how do you know?"

He glanced at me, smiled. "I'll show you! You know how you can make stars?" He gestured toward the star in my hand, and I nodded. "Well, I can do this." He raised his hand, and sand flew up from the ground to swirl above his palm. "And I can do this with it." The sand formed an eye. "With this, I can see anything I want."

"Oh, wow, that's so cool!"

"Really? Most people are freaked out by it."

"Well, I think it's cool. Can you see me with it? Even if you close your eyes?"

He nodded. "Yup."

"Prove it! Turn around."

He turned. "Okay."

I stuck my tongue out.

"Stop sticking your tongue out at me!"

"Oh, wow, you really can see me!" The hoof beats getting louder reminded me that people were coming. "Oh. Right. We should hide, right?"

Turning again, he nodded. "Unless we want to be sent back."

"I don't want to. They're probably guards–well, no, maybe not. Mama wouldn't send a boy after us." I glanced down the cavern, then up. "Up here. There's a little slot here, big enough for both of us to hide. It's high enough they won't see it." I reached up, started to climb.

Something boosted me upward. Glancing down, I saw sand forming a platform under my feet. Gaara rose next to me, and the sand floated us upward, toward the niche in the wall. It was big enough for both of us to get inside and crawl backward to hide in. He took the outside of it, and I scooted deeper into it.

"Why do you get the outside?"

He glanced back at me, with a look on his face like it should be obvious. "So I can protect you."

That silenced me. The closer the hoof beats got, the deeper into the niche I backed up, cupping my hands over my mouth. He backed up slightly himself, so he was at the middle of the niche while I was at the end.

The hoof beats were right on top of us. They stopped. "The trail ends here, nii-chsn. Where do you think they went?"

Pale teal eyes glanced back at me, widened. I could see that he was surprised about something.

I started to say something, and he shook his head at me, biting his lip. My hands pressed tighter to my lips.

"I dunno. I don't see anything."

"You've helped me track things before. What do you see? Pay attention."

A thump. Footsteps. Sliding in sand, rocks moving. "That way?"

"Are you asking me or telling me?"

Silence for a moment. Footsteps, toward the niche. Silence again, and then I heard scuffling, up the wall. Sounded like a rock fell off the wall, a slight grunt, and I could see the top of someone's head around the redhead in front of me. I saw him grin. "Found them!" He had unruly, black hair, and black eyes, with a smudge on his left cheek. He looked around the boy in front of me straight back to me, and his eyes brightened. "Starlight! Hi! Remember me?"

I shook my head. "No, not at all."

His face fell. "Oh." A second passed, and he smiled. "You will, that's okay! Your mom sent us after you guys!"

"Ugh. We're coming." I groaned.

A small sigh came from the boy in front of me. He waited for the black haired boy to get down before he climbed out, then jumped down.

I inched toward the edge, trying to think of any way out of this, but I could think of nothing. When I got to the edge, I could see two horses. One was white with a black mane, and the other was pure black with a lightning bolt on its forehead. I knew both horses. Neither one of them were for beginners. They were unruly horses. "I don't want to come down."

"I'll catch you," the black-haired boy yelled up, smiling.

In response to that, a platform of sand floated over to me. I jumped down onto that, and it brought me over to the redhead's side. I smiled. "Thanks."

He smiled back. "You're welcome."

Hoof beats. "Do I hear more horses?"

"I'm bringing them here." He crossed his arms, and sand waved around him.

"Oh. Well, that's smart."

The black-haired boy smiled at me. "So you really don't remember me?"

I shook my head. "Nope." Though I didn't want to admit it, there was a faint memory of seeing him before. A blurry image of a younger version of him, but I couldn't place it. I didn't want to say it. Crossing my arms, I turned away from him, toward the sound of approaching horses. It would take awhile for them to reach us, but I wasn't going to make this time pleasant. "How long will it take for them to reach us?"

"They're almost here."

"Good. Let's start walking."

"It's okay, nii-chan. You would be upset if mother sent someone after you, wouldn't you?"

"Well, yea. . . . I guess." Footsteps. The boy glanced at me as he walked past me, jumping up onto the horse with the lightning bolt.

Lief and Ceri came into sight. "Remind me tomorrow to get you on a horse of your very own." I smiled back at Gaara. "That way, you can name him or her and you can always have one to ride when you visit."

"Y-you mean, I can come back?"

I nodded, smiling. "Of course! You're my friend, right?"

An excited nod. "Y-yea!"

I jogged toward Lief, jumping up onto him before he'd fully stopped. My new friend followed suit. We turned our horses and I said, "I guess we have to go now, but it was fun while it lasted."

"I had a lot of fun. I don't remember the last time I had this much fun."

"Well, I hope it was, because your mother is not very happy with you."

I glanced up at the man, studying him in that quick glance. Long black hair pulled into a ponytail, one strand on either side of his face. A stress line on either side of his face. He smiled, but I ignored it, pulling my horse around to start the journey out of the Dragon Cave. Urging Lief into a cantor, I leant forward, urging him faster as he gained ground.

Hoof beats followed mine. Ceri kept pace with Lief, but I had no doubts he could. Ceri was one of the fastest horses in the pasture. Lief's speed was about average, but his endurance was what made him a good horse. He beat out most of the other horses in endurance. Ceri's speed and endurance was probably the best in the pasture, when put together. He could outrun most of the horses, and outlast most of the horses he couldn't.

The younger horses, like mine and my sisters' horses, hadn't been tested on speed and endurance yet. They hadn't been fully trained. Our horses were only a little over two years old. Until they'd been born, Papa had let us ride his and Big Brother's horses. It wasn't until we were about three that we'd been able to choose our own horses.

The cave was only wide enough for two horses to ride side by side, so the hoof beats from behind me made me want to look back. Fighting that urge, I continued onward. The opening of the cave came into view. With that, I urged Lief into a full out gallop, reaching the edge quickly. With a glance at the cave floor, I could see that the camping equipment I'd left behind had been picked up. Having expected that, I shook my head and held my chin high, galloping onward.

The moment I was out, two horses rushed forward. One stayed beside me while the other one rode on ahead. It made me want to glare at his back, but the other one pulled up beside me. Remembering that he'd been called the little brother, I held my chin higher, ignoring both of them as I looked upward, toward the stars.

Silence. The horses trudged onward quickly, and I caught a glimpse at the moon. Guessing by its position, it was probably a little after midnight.

I really didn't want to continue following, knowing I would just get in trouble, but I didn't have much of a choice. Mama was really going to be upset that I'd changed out of my ball gown and into the pants and the shirt that I kept in my saddle bag. I wanted to cross my arms, but I knew better than to release the saddle horn or the reigns.

Onward we galloped. At the current pace, I knew that the pasture would come into view quickly. This time, the man leading the group went around and to the gate, which was opened by the men assigned to horse care. He led us in, stopped his horse, and jumped off.

We followed suit. I caught teal eyes, and felt a resulting smile come from me. He smiled back. "So! I guess we're stuck inside tonight, instead of camping out. You okay with that?"

He nodded. "Yea, I can live with that."

"Well, hopefully Papa gets back soon. When he does, he'll let us go camping." I smiling, clasping my hands behind my back. "Mama is way more strict."

"You guys were going camping?" the black-haired boy spoke. "Have you camped in that cave before?"

"Of course," I said coolly, walking quickly out of the pasture while the ranch hands took the horses off.

"That's cool! Your mom said something about that cave being called the dragon's cave, or something like that?"

I glanced backward at him. "Dragon Cave."

"Why is it called that?" he asked, keeping up with my pace.

"I don't know," I lied, wanting to be finished with this conversation. Though part of me knew it was wrong, I blamed him for my sisters not being here. The other part of me just didn't like being contracted to some strange person I didn't know.

"Oh. Well, I bet the library would have the answer for that."

I shrugged. The palace steps came up. I stared up, feeling the dread pile down on me. My arms finally crossed. I groaned. "Ugh. I don't want to go back in there just to get yelled at."

"It was fun while it lasted," my new friend commented with a sigh.

I climbed the steps, arms still crossed. There was a person at each side of me, with the man at the back. It almost made me feel like he was waiting for me to try to escape. The thought did cross my mind, but I continued upward. Irritatingly, Mama was waiting in the grand entrance hall, pacing back at forth.

She turned at the opening of the doors. Kartwer was with her. She gave me a look. "Thank you, Itachi-San, for going after my disobedient daughter."

The man behind us gave a bow. I could see it out of the corner of my eye. "You're welcome, Khris-San."

"Starlight Wincan," I winced, "what in the world were you thinking!?" She stomped toward me. "Where's your gown? What were you doing? How did you get out?"

"My gown is in the saddle bag," I told her. "And I was going camping with my new friend, Gaara."

Her eyes landed on the redhead standing beside me, widening slightly. She backed away. "Yes, well. You'd better get on up to bed. And keep in mind, your betrothed will be staying with you. He doesn't need a guest room."

"W-what? Mama, you didn't tell me this before! I don't wanna share my room with him!"

"I didn't think I would need to tell you this, Starlight. It's quite obvious."

"Especially since you spent the past few hours hiding from him," my sister added.

"But, Mama-"

She shook her head. "No. Take him up to bed. It's late. I will have Kartwer escort your," she glanced at the redhead, "friend to his room. Do not wait for him. Go." She waved me off, toward the stairs.

Casting a glance at my friend, I muttered, "Good night, Gaara."

He waved. "G'night, Starlight."

Footsteps behind me. The boy was following me, so my assumptions about who he was were correct. I jogged up the stairs, then stopped, turned over to yell down the railing, "Mama, what about his stuff? His stuff would still with his family, so wouldn't it be easier to just let him sleep with his family?"

"His stuff was already put in your room, so don't get overly excited. Go to bed, Starlight."

A growl came from me. I turned back toward the curtain to find him already holding it aside with a small smile. I tossed my hair back and continued through the curtain to reach for the door. It opened before I touched it, and I caught a glimpse of the male maid behind it before walking through. Past Big Brother's room, past Sunny's, past Silverstar's, then mine, the fourth on the left.

He beat me to the door, holding it open for me. "I like your room, Starlight. I like the stones in your wall."

I glanced at him. "Those are Starstones. They glow in the dark when I want them to."

"I like them." He waited for me to walk through, then closed the door behind him.

A quick look around showed no bags in my room. "Where's your stuff?"

"Your mom had my clothes added to your closet."

My brow twitched. "How long are you staying? That seems like a lot of trouble for nothing. . . ."

"Two weeks."

Eyes widening, I turned to stare at him. "T-two weeks?" A small sound came from me. "Hmph, well! I'm going to take a shower and get ready for bed. You can wait here. I don't care what you do."

Hearing the bed squeak, I glanced back to see him perched lightly on the bed. He had something in his hand. "When you come out, we can watch a movie or something."

I shrugged, walked toward my bathroom door. "Do what you want, I don't care." I paused, turned, and walked toward my armoire, where my nightclothes were hanging up. Opening the door, I was greeted by the sight of my clothes being pushed to the side to accommodate his clothes. Growling a bit under my breath, I snatched a nightgown and its matching robe, jogged back to the bathroom door, and locked it once I was safely inside. Throwing the gown to the floor, I stood there, glaring at nothing. I want my sisters. I hate this.

I don't know how long I was in there, but when I came back, he was lounging comfortably on my bed. A small sense of relief hit me when I saw that he wasn't sleeping on my side. I didn't sleep next to the door. He had taken the side closest to the door. Good. That would've been a pointless thing to argue about. With a small shrug, I pulled the robe tighter around me and padded toward my side of the bed.

He jumped off, shot me a smile, and, grabbing something off the edge of the bed, sprinted toward the bathroom. "I won't be long!"

So I sat there, staring at the wall separating mine and Silverstar's room, and I couldn't help but wonder what she was doing, what Sunny was doing. Were they being forced to be nice to some random stranger? Or were they still in the carriage? Knowing from experience how uncomfortable it was to sleep in the carriage, I wasn't sure what I hoped they were doing. Just that they were happy, I guess.

A knock at my door. Jumping off my bed, I trudged to the door, opening it slightly to look out.

To my surprise, pale teal eyes met mine. He smiled. "I didn't wake you up, did I?"

Glancing back, I slipped out, closing the door softly behind me. "Where's your guest room?"

He pointed. "It's over there. I thought I would say good night before you fell asleep."

"Wanna come in and watch a movie? I have to stay in here, or Mama will be angry, but she didn't say that I couldn't have a friend in with me."

His eyes widened, sliding toward his own guest room, then toward my door. "Oh, well, yea, sure! B-but won't he be angry?"

I crossed my arms, pouting a bit. "I don't care. I don't want to be alone with him. I don't like him."

A small nod. His eyes lit up. "Okay. That sounds fun. I'll just leave when you fall asleep, okay?"

"You might be here all night, then," I said softly, opening the door.

"Starlight," my sister's voice rang down the hall. "I do hope you and your friends sleep well. I heard your little friend got a very nicely decorated guest room, with a balcony."

His face fell. "Yea. I guess this is good night."

I groaned. "Good night, I guess. I'll see you in the morning?"

A nod, and a smile. "Yup!"

"I'll take you to pick out your own horse, and we can go riding! How's that sound?"

"I can't wait."

The door swung open behind me. "Star? Oh. I thought you left me behind again."

I rolled my eyes. "No. I was just talking to my friend." Reaching forward, I threw my arms around the redhead, squeezing tight.

His body tensed, and for a minute, it seemed like he stopped breathing. He seemed frozen, stiff.

I pulled back, smiling, and said, "I hope you sleep well."

A small nod. His eyes were wide, and his cheeks were a little red.

"Good night, Starlight," my sister said in a sickly sweet voice.

Knowing what she meant, I groaned, turned around and, with a final wave, shut the door.

The black-haired boy smiled slightly. "You don't like me much, do you?"

"What was your first clue?" I countered, stalking around the bed to jump up onto my side. "Let's just try to sleep, okay? And get this over with."

No answer for a minute. Finally, he said, "Okay," in a soft, breathy voice.

For a moment, I almost felt bad, like I hurt his feelings. That moment didn't last long.

He was asleep. Glancing over at him, I rolled out of bed, sprinted as silently as I could toward my door, and swung it open, peering outside. Nobody out there, so I crept out, glancing back at the sleeping boy once more. He was facing away from my spot on the bed, so I could see his face from the door. His eyes were closed, and he looked peaceful almost. I shut the door, crept toward the room pointed out before, and knocked. "Hey, you awake?" I called.

No answer. Nothing.

I opened the door a slit, peering inside. Nobody was on the bed, so, with a glance at the still empty hallway behind me, I slipped into his room, shutting the door behind me. "Gaara?"

No answer.

I looked around the room. The glass double doors on the right side of the room obviously led outside to the balcony, and his bathroom door was on the opposite wall of the door I'd come in through. There was no light under the bathroom door, so I turned to the balcony door, noticing a slight breeze from where it'd been left slightly open. I crept toward it, opening the door slowly. Nobody was on the balcony. "Hey! Are you still here?"

Still no answer.

I climbed up the railing of the balcony, jumped to grab onto the edge of the roof and pulled myself up. The roof was slanted, hard to keep my footing, so it was a slow walk around the edge, and after going around the edge, I could see him, sitting in the middle of the east side of the roof, staring at the moon. His knees were drawn up to his chest, and his arms wrapped around his knees. In the sparse moonlight, I thought I saw the glistening of tears. I crept toward him carefully, always mindful of the slanted roof. "H-hey, Gaara!"

He stiffened, turned, and I saw him smile. "St-Starlight?" He wiped at his face quickly, standing. "What are you doing up here?"

"I wanted to hang out, and I couldn't sleep, so I thought maybe you would be awake."

He nodded, starting to walk toward me.

I continued my pace toward him, and my foot slipped. The world froze, but I knew I was falling. I started to scream, but it wouldn't come out. I tottered over the edge, and started to fall.

"Starlight!" Something wrapped around my wrists, something rough and grainy, stopping my fall. Quick footsteps made their way toward me. Pale teal eyes peered at me over the roof's edge. "It's okay, I've got you."

Looking at my wrists, I could see sand wrapping around me, pulling me upward. I let out a shaky breath. "I thought I was going to fall."

"You did fall. You shouldn't have followed me up here. You almost got killed."

I was set gently on my feet, in front of him, and the sand retreated, curling around his body, disappearing almost. "Is it wrapped around you always?"

He nodded. "Yup. Good thing, too, because my gourd is in my room."

"Gourd?"

"It's where I keep my sand."

"Oh. Well." I let out a breath, looking over the edge. A slight stumble, and a hand clasped down on both of my arms. "I'm okay, I'm good. Don't worry."

His grip was hard, hands rough. "Let's get you down, okay? Because you're not safe up here."

I smiled. "Don't be too sure. I can fly!"

His smile told me he wasn't convinced, and keeping hold of me, he turned me, and pushed me toward the edge, hands locked on my arms. "I've got you, you're not gonna fall. I promise."

"I trust you," I said softly.

His hands twitched on me, tightening, and we reached the balcony. "I'm going to lower you down, okay?"

"It's okay, I can jump."

Glancing back at him, I caught him shaking his head. "No, I don't want you getting hurt. Just let me help you."

A moment passed. "Okay. All right." Sand flowed out from the room below, forming a platform in front of me.

"Just step onto it and it'll lower you to the ground."

I nodded, stepping forward. I was lowered slowly, carefully, but he jumped down. He was down first. I crossed my arms, pouting. "How come you're okay with jumping?"

"I'm not gonna get hurt. The sand keeps me from getting hurt."

"But . . . eh, okay. So! What do you want to do? Watch a movie, sneak out, what?"

"Maybe you should sleep," he said evasively. "Your mom will be angry with you."

"She's never gonna know if I get back before dawn."

A small nod. "Well, okay. We can sneak out."

"If we do that, I want to show you the Waterfall Place. It's this really amazing place, with a huge waterfall."

He tilted his head to the side. "I could probably get us both in and out with my sand, if I take my gourd."

I nodded. "Yea! You can definitely get us in and out, and nobody would even know!"

He walked over to the corner, picked up what I assumed was his gourd, and strapped it on. "Let's go, then?"

I nodded. "Oh, wait! Lock the door, in case anyone comes here."

"I don't think anyone will come in here," he said, walking toward the door, "but if it'll make you feel better, I'll lock it anyway."

"Do you have a bathing suit? In case we go swimming?"

He glanced at me. "No, but I don't need one. I'll be fine. What about you?"

I shrugged. "If I risk going back to my room, I risk waking him up, and I'm not going to risk it."

"You really don't like him, do you?" He made his way to the armoire, grabbing a shirt to toss it at me. "There. In case you get cold."

I caught it, holding it up. A long-sleeved, soft shirt. "Thanks."

He smiled, caught up to me, and led the way out onto the balcony. "So why don't you like him, anyway?"

A wince. "I'm s'posed to marry him."

"Oh. And you don't like him?"

A shrug. "I don't want to marry anyone. Mama said she'll probably marry him to me when I'm sixteen. I don't wanna marry anyone at a hundred! Why would I wanna marry at sixteen, and to some bratty boy I've never even met? He lives in a whole 'nother village! Why would I want to marry someone I don't know?"

He tilted his head. "Seems like a silly thing to me, too. I don't know what I'd do if I was s'posed to marry a stranger." A shrug. "Try to get to know them, I guess." He stopped at the edge of the balcony and, with one, quick jump that made me envious, he perched on top of the railing.

"H-how did you do that?"

He smiled. "I've been training since I was real little." Reaching down to me, he held his hand out to me.

"Promise not to let me fall?"

A look crossed his face. "Trust me."

I smiled, reached up for his hand, and let him pull me up. Standing by him, I looked down. "What now?"

He pulled me a bit closer with one arm around my waist. "Trust me." Pulling me with him, he stepped off the railing. We fell less than five feet before sand formed beneath our feet. "Which way?"

"Follow the moon, that way!" We started moving, and I directed him to where we were going. When he started lowering us, I bounced subtly in place. "The rest of the way, we're going on foot."

He nodded. "'Kay! It just made it easier for nobody to follow us that way. No footprints."

I nodded. The second my feet hit the ground, I started walking, pulling him along with his sleeve. "C'mon, you're gonna really love it. It's the Waterfall Place. Right up ahead!"

I could feel excitement from him. "How high is the waterfall?"

"It's, like, a hundred feet! Maybe more!" The sound of the water falling filled my ears. "Hear it? Smell it! Take a deep breath."

He took a deep breath. "Oh, it smells really nice!"

My eyes already were picking up on the sight of water falling. I bounced slightly while walking forward. "It's really beautiful, really! I can't wait for you to see it." Minutes passed with the slight sound of us moving through the forest, with me or him moving a tree branch or a thorn bush out of the way, until we came to the destination.

He froze, a small sound coming from him. The moon's light illuminated the pond perfectly, and I could see the stars easily. The Waterfall place was one of the best places to see the stars, the sun, and the moon from. It was me and my sisters' favorite place to play. With the moon right above, the pond was sparkling and beautiful, and the moon's light glinted off the falling water, and I amended my first statement.

"Maybe five hundred feet tall. It's really tall."

A small nod. "It's beautiful."

"The water gets really deep by the waterfall, but closer to shore, it's perfect." Lifting my nightgown up higher, I stepped forward to put my feet in the water, letting out a soft sigh. "It's nice being here, this place, this water, this . . . home. It sucks Silv and Sunny aren't here."

"Silv, Sunny?" he repeated back to me.

I glanced back, having momentarily forgotten he didn't know who they were. It was the first time that I'd been without them. "My twin sisters."

"Do they look like you?"

I shook my head. "No, well, yes, yes and no. Silverstar has blond hair with silver streaks, and really pale blue eyes. Sunset has pink hair and eyes. Sunny and I are paler than Silverstar, but I guess, physically, we all look the same. Other than colors. And heights. I'm the shortest, and the youngest."

"I'm the youngest in my family, too." He stepped up next to me, and I realized he, like me, was barefoot.

It made me smile. "You didn't put shoes on."

He glanced up at me quickly, then down at my feet, smiling. "Oh, I walk on burning sand all the time. I didn't really think about shoes."

"'Burning sand'?"

He nodded. "Yea. I'm from the desert."

I tilted my head to the side. "I didn't know that. Where are you from?"

"Sunagakure. You didn't know that?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Hm." He stared at me, tilting his head slightly. "Is that why you're so nice to me, because you don't know who I am?"

I blinked. "What?"

"Well, where I'm from, everyone calls me a monster, and they hate me. They treat me like I am a-a monster. I thought you knew."

I shook my head. "Nope! No idea why they would call you that, though."

He held his hand up, and I watched the sand swirl over his palm. "This is why."

"Really?" I pulled my hair in front of my face. "Whenever I go into the village alone, I hear people calling me weird, because of what I look like, because of my fangs. Not people that live here, of course, they know me. They're used to me, but when we get visitors, I usually stay away, because they look at me like I'm a freak, and I don't like it." I turned to look at him. "Because I have fangs, but because . . . other reasons, people tend to stay clear of me. They think I'm a monster, too, so when I go out, I disguise myself.

"You know, when I was younger, Sunny and I tried to dye our hair. Sunny doesn't like pink, and I wanted to look . . . normal. I didn't want the white hair, or the fangs. I tried to cut the fangs out, but they just grew back. I tried once to not be me, but it didn't work. I am who I am, and I can't help that." I turned to stare out at the pond. "I don't like being called a monster, but you know something? I think the word I hate the most is 'emotionless.' I hear that sometimes. People think I have no feelings. But I'm not like that. I'm not."

I turned to look at him, but my eyes slid away from his, looking down at the ground. "And it bothers me, because if people see me like that, if everyone sees me like that, is that who I really am, and I just don't see it? But I refuse to be that. I refuse to be what they think I am. I refuse to let them change who I feel like I am," I pressed my hand over my heart, "inside."

His hand reached up, closing around the hand over my heart. "I don't think you're a monster, or emotionless," he said softly. "You're the only person who's ever invited me to play. You're the only person who doesn't run from me. You don't give me those eyes, and you don't . . . fear me. You trust me. I think you're amazing, and I don't think you're emotionless, or a monster. I think you're amazing."

I smiled at him, taking a deep breath. "Maybe you would if you knew more about me."

"Knew what?" he asked softly.

I looked away again, this time not being able to bear seeing his eyes when I said it. "I'm not normal, Gaara. When it comes to survival, I can't just live off of normal food. My mom and dad found out when I was born that I rejected milk, I rejected everything. They told me that they didn't know what to do, they thought I would starve to death, until they walked into mine and my sisters' joint room to see me sucking on Sunset's finger. She was bleeding. They said they watched me change. They watched my body go from starved to healthy. And it was the first time they realized, I need blood to survive. Without it, I wither, and die."

A second passed, and he reached up to cup my shoulder. "So what? You can't change that. It doesn't change you, either. You're still Starlight Wincan to me. And nothing will change that."

I looked at him. "You mean it? You still like me?"

A nod. "Mm-hm! Nothing will change that, I promise! And I don't break my promises!"

A moment passed, as we smiled at each other. Then I heard my name being called. I glanced back. "Oh, no! Oh, toward the water fall, the dry part. We'll climb up that way, and we'll be safe."

He nodded and we started to run toward the cliff. He reached it first and started climbing.

I climbed up after him, hand over hand, carefully. Climbing in the dress wasn't very easy, and it took all my concentration not to slip and fall, but up I went, up, and up, and up. He stayed behind me, and I knew it was because he was afraid I'd slip, and he was making sure he could catch me. I reached the top first, reaching over for the root I knew was there. Right as my fingers closed around it, my foot slipped. My heart stopped, but I had hold of the root–until it broke, and the rock under my other foot crumbled.

A scream came from me, and I had a moment until I realized a hand had closed around my wrist. I had just started to fall. Looking back, I saw Gaara and a cloud of sand waiting, ready, but it wasn't him who'd caught me. His eyes were as wide as mine. I looked up, meeting wide, black eyes.

The boy I'd left sleeping in my room pulled me over the edge. My feet weren't even on the ground before he grabbed me in a hug. "You're okay, oh, you're okay!" One hand cupped the back of my head as he held me against him. "You almost fell, you could've died!"

I pushed away. "I'm okay! You didn't have to rush in and be the hero."

His eyes narrowed. "You almost died!"

Gaara pulled himself up. "She wouldn't have fallen. I was ready to catch her."

The black-haired boy's hands clenched into fists. "You! If it wasn't for you, she wouldn't have been in danger in the first place!"

"She wasn't in any danger! I would've caught her!"

"How? Both your hands were busy keeping yourself up!"

"How did you get up here, anyway?" I asked, trying to stop what I felt was going to turn into an ugly fight.

"I climbed, just like you guys did. I climbed it before you guys got here. I've been waiting."

"Why?"

"Because I figured if your mom looked in on us, and you weren't there, but I was, you would get in trouble." He looked down, scuffing the ground with his bare foot. "I was just trying to keep you out of trouble. Of course," he looked up, eyes angry again, "it's a good thing I did come, because you would've died if I wasn't here!"

"I had her," Gaara said shortly.

"Yea, sure, and how did you have her? Both your hands were busy!"

Sand rose behind him as he crossed his arms. The sand reached out and shoved the black-haired boy backward. "I didn't need my hands for that, did I?"

His eyes narrowed, and he pushed himself up, brushing himself off. He had thrown on a pair of pants, but hadn't grabbed a shirt. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Gaara. You?"

"Sasuke Uchiha, of the Uchiha Clan." He crossed his own arms now. "And I'm here because I'm her betrothed. Why are you here?"

"My brother is contracted to her older sister, and unlike you, I'm Starlight's friend."

His face darkened. "I've known Starlight since she was born. You just met her."

"Maybe so, but at least she likes me."

The glare that came into that boy's face made me step in between them. "All right, all right. Let's play nice now, okay? If you weren't the one who called my name, then who did?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I thought maybe it was one of your guards."

I shook my head. "No, I know all my guards' voices. I know everyone who lives in my castle by their voices. That wasn't a voice I know."

"Well, well. What are you children doing out without supervision? Don't you know it's dangerous?" The voice was the same as before. Looking over, I saw a hooded man. "Hello, there, young Starlight. I know someone who would pay a pretty penny for you."

I backed away. "Who are you?"

He was tall, a little chubby, but I could sense the power behind him. He stepped forward. "I'm your daddy's old friend. We used to work together. And I know someone who would love to meet you."

Both boys stepped in front of me in a guarding stance. "Stay away from her!" the black-haired boy warned.

"Ah, the infamous Uchiha Clan's young boy. And you, aren't you the Jinchuriki of the sand? The one that's so feared? The ultimate weapon of the sand, with the Uchiha young heir, and the daughter of an old comrade. How lucky am I, to have come across such a bounty. How unlucky for you." He raised his hands. Both hands had kunais in it.

I hadn't been trained in kunais yet. "Y-you better get out of here, or my daddy will make sure you regret this!"

"Your daddy isn't here, Starlight. I've been waiting for this moment, for the moment your father would leave you unprepared. I had to put specific precautions in place to be sure it would happen, and it took years, but it finally has come time to finish this. Your father owes me a debt, and you, along with your friends, are about to repay that debt." He threw one kunai, but it wasn't aimed at me. It was aimed at the black-haired boy standing to my side. Not watching the boy dodge him, he reached his hand out toward me, and I felt something close around my throat. His hand closed, forming a claw, and as it did, my throat closed with it.

I clawed at my throat, collapsing, unable to breathe.

"Starlight!" Two pairs of eyes appeared above me, but already my vision was starting to waver. Black eyes narrowed. Sasuke stood, turning. "Let her go, or else!"

"Or else, what? You'll kick me in the shin?"

He shook his head. "I am Uchiha, Sasuke, of the Uchiha Clan, and I'll burn that arm off!" I couldn't see what he did, but I suddenly smelled smoke. He cursed.

The man laughed. "Cute! Are you going to blow smoke at me? Try a-shit!" What sounded like rushing sand. "I should've remembered you, Jinchuriki. Out of the three here, you're the most dangerous, aren't you?"

A growl. "Don't underestimate me!" Smoke again. Clutching at my throat, I turned to watch him make hand signs, but once again, he blew nothing but smoke. He cursed

Sand rushed at the man, grazing his cheek. "Whatever you've done to Starlight, I suggest you undo it, or lose your life!"

"Two of your comrades can't even hit me, boy! What do you think, you're going to defeat me on your own?"

"Stop mocking me!" Sasuke made the same hand signs, took a deep breath, and blew smoke again.

"Your Chakra control is off, boy. You can't hit me like that! Too bad your big, bad brother isn't here to help you, huh?" He dodged another sand attack. "And you, your aim is as bad as his! At least you can actually throw some-"

Fire shot from Sasuke. It caught the man off guard enough that sand wrapped around his arm. The other arm was hit by the stream of fire. The man scream, and blood flew from the sand-wrapped arm, while his other arm caught fire. I could smell the scent of burning flesh.

My throat reopened. I took a few gasping, raw, painful breaths, and pushed to my feet.

Both boys turned to me. "Starlight, you should stay down."

"I hate to agree, but are you sure you're okay?"

I nodded, taking a ragged deep breath. I started to speak when something hit me. A blast of power, pure and concentrated. Hard. It threw me backward, and I was airborn. The very next second I was falling.

And the next, I hit water, involuntarily taking a breath and swallowing some. It burnt the entire way down. I kicked, struggling, but my nightgown had wrapped around my legs. Vaguely, I could see the water being stained pink. It wasn't until I saw the pinkish water that I realized I was bleeding. Though I kicked and struggled, the truth was, I knew I couldn't swim. With the angry, painful wound in my abdomen, and the nightgown wrapped around my legs, it was a wonder I didn't immediately sink.

A dull splash. The last thing I saw was black eyes. Then everything was black.


	3. Fearful Sister

_"Wake up. Wake up, dammit! Wake up! I got to you in time, I know I did! Wake up!"_

 _"Starlight. . . . I-I'm sorry, I should've caught you. I-I just froze!"_

 _"Wake up!" Someone pressed on my chest, three times, then breathed into me. I felt wet, warm lips on mine, but I couldn't react. He breathed for me, I didn't count how many times. Then pressed on my chest while repeating, "Wake up, Star, wake up! Dammit! C'mon! I know I got to you in time! C'mon!"_

 _Crying. "Why did I have to freeze like that?"_

 _"Instead of crying, make yourself useful! We need something to wrap the wound up with, or she's going to bleed to death!" Pressing on my chest, then breathing again._

 _"R-right! Oh, I-I brought a shirt. An extra shirt!"_

 _"Go get it!"_

 _"Right!" A sniffle, footsteps, rustling through what sounded like leaves. "I got it." Returning footsteps._

 _"Rip it. My hands are a little busy."_

 _"R-right!" The sound of ripping fabric._

 _"Into thin, long shreds. Try to make them as even as possible, about two inches wide!"_

 _"Got it."_

 _Push, push, push, then breathing into me. "Breathe, dammit! Don't you die on me! I haven't gotten you to like me yet! Open your eyes! Wake up! Breathe!" It was the third push on my chest that made me feel something in my throat. Water bubbled up. I was suddenly lifted, and my back was patted, hard. Water spurted, I coughed. "Oh, you got it. C'mon. Breathe, Starlight, breathe."_

 _My lungs hurt. My abdomen hurt. My everything hurt. It took a few minutes for me to realize the pain I was in. I was slowly let back down. Fingers pressed to my throat._

 _"Dammit, breathe! Don't make me do all the work!" Pressing on my chest again._

 _"It's done. All ripped."_

 _The hands left my chest, and I felt my nightgown being lifted. The ripping of wet, thick fabric, and I could vaguely feel cool air touching my skin. It was ripped up to my lower chest. "Take those strips and wrap them around that hole there. Wrap it tight. See this discoloration? It looks like she might have a hurt rib, too. Wrap it really tight."_

 _"Right!"_

 _I was lifted again, held against someone's chest. "Do it fast."_

 _Something warm wrapped around me, tightly. It pressed against the burning pain on me, and I tried to whimper, but I felt nothing respond. I couldn't even wince. Nothing. It took a few seconds before he spoke again, "Got it. It's done."_

 _"Good." I was laid back down, and he began pressing on my chest again. "Who hit her? Did you see who hit her?"_

 _"No. I-it couldn't have been that guy. He-he's dead, right?"_

 _"At the very least, he has no arms now. I burnt one to dust, and you crushed the other one." Lips to mine. "Breathe, breathe, Starlight. Come back to me. Come back."_

 _"My uncle, my uncle has medicine. I-I can go, and g-get him? Maybe he can help."_

 _A pause. "Get my brother, too. Be fast."_

 _I could hear the sound of retreating footsteps._

 _"Come on, Starlight." Breathing into me. "Wake up, breathe. Don't make me do all the work. Come on! Wake up!" He continued to push, harder now. "Don't make me do all the work!"_

 _Another cough was forced from me, as well as another burst of water. I was lifted, turned a bit, enabling the water to escape easier. With the water's escape, I took a deep, ragged breath, coughing again. My throat hurt. My lungs burnt. I took another breath._

 _A shaky sigh came from the body of whomever was holding me. "Starlight?"_

 _My eyes opened finally, focusing on black, teary eyes. He blinked, reaching up to wipe at his eyes. I couldn't seem to move. His grip loosened a bit, then tightened, and I was pulled in against his body, head laying against his shoulder. Ragged breaths came from him, and I blinked, trying hard to keep my eyes open. I could barely see. My whole body was exhausted. I felt like everything inside me was weighed down._

 _He shook me. "Breathe! Why did you stop breathing?"_

 _I took a breath, having forgotten to breathe. It seemed to take a conscious effort to breathe. My eyes opened, though I hadn't realized I'd closed them, and I was looking up at the waterfall, up at the cliff. I vaguely remembered falling from there._

 _Someone was standing there. It was blurry, and dark-edged. I couldn't focus on it._

 _"Breathe," he said softly, stroking my back._

 _I took a deep breath, and my vision cleared a bit. My heart stopped._

 _Kartwer stood at the edge of the cliff, glaring down at me. And I'd never before felt so terrified as I did at that moment._

 _And I knew._

 _My sister had tried to kill me._


	4. Medicine

I jerked upward, taking a deep breath, screaming. A hand grabbed my shoulder, pushing me back down. "Starlight! Stop! It's okay, it's over! You're okay now!" Black eyes met mine. "H-how do you feel?"

My throat hurt so badly. Why did it hurt so badly? "M-my th-throat," I croaked. My voice was so harsh.

He reached over the edge of the bed for something on the nightstand, and I realized we were lying in bed. He handed a glass to me. "Here. It's a remedy for sore throat that my Clan uses. I figure it would help yours, but you gotta drink all of it, or it doesn't work."

I took it, raised it to my lips–and promptly spat it out. "F-fire!" My tongue's on fire!

He cupped my hands over the glass. "You gotta drink it. One way, or another." He gave me a look.

I returned the look.

He took the glass, took a drink, and placed his mouth over mine, using his thumb to open my mouth. The liquid filled my mouth, and he drew back, cupping his hand over my mouth, and keeping my chin in place so I couldn't just spit it onto his hand. "Swallow."

I swallowed, and it burnt all the way down.

He held the glass out to me. "Now, drink it, or I'll do it again."

Reluctantly, I took the glass, taking a tentative swallow, then whimpering.

"Finish it."

What felt like hours later, I finished the glass of horrible tasting fire liquid. And though it made my mouth feel like it was on fire, my throat almost instantly felt better. "W-what is it?"

"Medicine." He took the cup from me, turned, placed it on the nightstand, then turned back to me, eyes worried. "Your mom is angry for us sneaking out, but you getting hurt has kept her from freaking out."

"S-she knows?"

A nod. "You've been out for days, Starlight. Of course she knows."

"D-days?"

Another nod. "You were hurt very badly." He reached out, touching my abdomen. "Does it still hurt?"

I shook my head. "Nothing does," I said softly.

"Good." He took a deep breath, and as he threw the blanket back, I caught a glimpse of a wrapped bandage on his left arm. He followed my gaze. "I got hurt by that guy who tried to kill you," he said quickly. "Don't worry about it. I'm okay." I started to get up, and he rushed over to my side of the bed. "Don't move too quickly. You've been in bed for a few days. You need to take it slowly."

I threw the blanket off of me. "Don't tell me what to do," I snapped, lowering my feet to the floor. It wasn't five seconds after standing that I ended up falling.

He caught me, pulling me to my feet, holding me against his chest. "It's okay, Starlight. I've got you."

I pushed away, leaning against the bed. "I don't need your help."

He growled. "Just let me help!"

"No way!" I pushed to a standing position, only to fall again. "My legs are asleep," I muttered.

He grabbed my hands, pulling me to my feet. "Just let me help," he said softly, pulling me with him. "A couple steps with me, and you'll be back to normal. Your legs just need to get the blood circulating again."

With a small sigh, I let him pull me along with him, stepping carefully with him. When I wobbled, I grasped his hands tightly, and he moved in closer. "I got it, back up."

A small smile, he nodded. "Okay, Star, okay."

My legs were starting to wake up. The tingly feeling was going away. "Okay. I'm fine, now let go."

His hands fell away slowly, and he backed away. "D-do you remember anything?"

"No. . . . Not really. I mean," I hesitated. " I remember being attacked. I remember being hit by something. And I remember the water. I don't remember anything past that."

A breath escaped. "Okay, well. Are you hungry?"

A small nod. "Yea. Not real hungry, but a little."

"Let's go, then." He walked past me, to the door, opening it.

"W-where's Gaara?"

He tensed. "He left. His father made him leave two days ago."

I didn't hide the disappointment in my voice when I said, "Oh. I was gonna give him a horse."

"Well, he's gone," he said, gesturing for me to walk out. I walked past him and he closed the door. "He stayed an extra day to help try to find the guy that attacked us, but after that, they left."

I started down the hall. The opening of a door made me pause.

"Oh, look at that. Dear Starlight is up and about." The voice sent chills down my spine, though I wasn't sure why.

Turning to stare at Kartwer, I backed up against the wall. "Y-you're up here."

A distant nod. "Of course, sister. Why would I not be? After all, 'tis morn, is it not? Or have I overslept, much like you have?"

"No, it's morning," Sasuke said behind her. "We were going down for breakfast."

"Good, nice to see my sister up and walking around again. How is that wound healing?" I didn't miss the slithery sound in her voice. The way she spoke.

I didn't answer, so Sasuke said, "Her throat is still bothering her, but her wounds seem to have healed completely already."

"Good for her. To be so lucky to escape a murder attempt." She walked past me, and if I hadn't moved quickly, would have run straight into me without stopping. "Goodbye, dear sister. You won't always be so lucky, you know. You must take precautions."

I'd never been so afraid in my life as I was at that moment, of my own sister. And I could not figure out why.

Hours later, I was in the kitchen, attempting to scoop out some ice cream. No matter how I tried, I could only graze the surface, and only get a tiny bit. It was frustrating me. "Urrrgh!"

A laugh. "Here. Let me." The ice cream scoop was taken from me. Sasuke scooted me over, taking up my spot, and scooped out two perfect scoops, one to my bowl, one to his. Then again, and once more. "Here," he said, smiling, handing me the bowl.

I frowned, but took the bowl, walking to the long table. Staring down at my bowl, I couldn't take my mind off of what happened this morning. Why had I reacted like that from seeing my sister? Why had I been so afraid? Why had it felt like she was threatening me? My sister–I mean, Kartwer was always mean to me, always teasing me and making fun of me, but she would never actually hurt me.

Would she?

"What's on your mind?" He was sitting across from me, eating his ice cream, watching me, when I looked up. "Something's buggin' ya. What's up?"

"Did anything . . . weird happen, besides my attack?"

He shook his head. "That whole thing was weird. Why?"

I shrugged. "I . . . dunno. Don't remember it, and it's bugging me," I lied.

"Liar," he said softly. "What's really bothering you?"

I glanced up. "I think Kartwer was the one who attacked me," I said finally.

He paused, and I heard his spoon hit his bowl. "W-what? Why?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. I just . . . I'm afraid of her now. And I don't know why. But it feels . . . it feels like I'm not safe here anymore."

He reached across, grabbing my hand. "Look at me." I met his eyes. "As long as I'm here, you're safe. I won't let anyone hurt you, okay?"

"And what happens when you're gone?" I whispered raggedly. "If she really was the one who attacked me, she's not going to stop at one attack."

"Well, I'll talk to my mom and dad, and see if I can get your mom and dad to let you come with me for awhile. Then you'll know where I live. And you can come there, if ever you feel threatened again. Okay? I'm going to protect you. I promise, and I don't break my promises."


	5. Follow The Stars

So comfortable. It's about time I started falling asleep. . . . I could see colors forming now, right about to start a dream. Right about to begin. . . . Sounds, vague. I heard vague sounds, lulling me deeper into sleep. It was just starting. A valley, with long grasses, and a beautiful, huge tree in the distance. I was standing there, in my nightgown, and–

A hand clasped over my mouth. My eyes shot open, roaming about to find I was staring at my father's frightened face. He held one finger up to his lips. "Starlight, something is about to happen, and I need you to hide for me. Can you do that, Starlight? Can you hide?"

It was the fear in his voice that made me nod.

He picked me up, carried me to my armoire and opened the door just to scatter everything on the floor of the armoire everywhere. He reached forward, and I felt him run his energy through the armoire. It glowed a slight silver, and the bottom of it slid open. "Get in there, and follow the signs. Do not come out until I come to get you. Don't make a sound, don't use your power. Go."

I climbed into the hole, and watched it close above my head. Darkness closed around me, and I felt afraid. I crouched there, trying to remember what was going on, trying to wake up. People had a nasty habit of waking me up right when I was starting to fall asleep. I shook my head, rubbed my eyes, and it started to dawn on me. I looked up, touching the ceiling above my head. "Daddy?"

It was so dark in the hole. I felt a breeze, and realized it wasn't a hole. Tunnel. The breeze was coming from behind me. I turned around, crawling through the cramped space. Feeling every inch of the way, I crawled through the tunnel as soundlessly as I could. After a few minutes, I could see a dim light glowing. I followed that light to find it was a starstone imbedded in the wall, with a note beside it, posted to the wall.

I pulled the note off the wall.

In my father's messy handwriting, it read:

"Starlight,

If you're reading this, it means they finally found me. They most likely have figured out where I am, and have come to exact their revenge for me running out on them. What you need to know is Daddy did some bad things as a young adult, that still haunt him to this day.

It is because of these things that you and your siblings are in a constant state of danger. I can never make it up to you, and I can never take back the things I have done, but I can try to be sure you and your sisters never fall into their hands. The three of you together, you are special girls, and he would do anything to get his hands on you if he discovered your existence. Because of this, I had these elaborate tunnels created to keep you and your sisters safe.

Follow the stars, and you will find your way.

Do not attempt to go above to find your sisters, to find me, your brother, or your mother. You stay put. Do not come up. If you come up, it will be risking everything Bolestrole, your mother, Kartwer, and I have done to protect you. Do not let this be in vein, Starlight. Stay hidden, stay put, and stay unseen.

Follow the stars.

I will find you."

I stared at the note for what felt like hours before finally turning to realize the tunnel made a T. I wasn't sure which way to go. I chose left. Left split off into three different ways, and I chose the far right tunnel, to see a dimly glowing light. It came to another T, and I continued to go left.

Voices. I could hear voices. I followed the voices to the right side, finding a drop. I jumped down. It was a thin enough tunnel that I could climb back up by propping my feet against one side, and my back against the other, so I wasn't worried about getting stuck if need be. I followed the voices, recognizing my mother's, but not recognizing the man's.

I came to a vent, staring out into the parlor. My mother was backed up against the wall.

"You are sure you won't tell me where they are?" the man in the cloak demanded.

She shook her head. "Not a chance."

"Even if I kill you?"

She held her head high. "I don't care what you do to me. I will not betray my children."

"I've heard great things of them, you know. The girls. The triplets. How special they are. Their abilities with their blood. Their elemental prowess. Their Kekkei Genkai. You won't stop me from finding them." He whipped a long sword out, across her throat.

Blood spurted out, she reached up to grasp her throat, and the blade whipped across her chest, then her abdomen. She fell, slowly.

A small sound came from me. I cupped my hands over my mouth. Oh, no!

He turned toward the vent, and I could see his eyes catch sight of me. He stalked toward me, laughing. "In the vents! Of course. How simple." He curled his hand around the vent, pulling it out even as I backed away, grabbing me next. He pulled me out, threw me toward the wall.

I hit the wall, sliding down. On my knees, I caught a glimpse of golden eyes. "Get away from me," I warned.

"Who's going to stop me, girl?"

"I am!" A red and green blur shot before me. "Run, Starlight! Go, now!"

I leapt to my feet, running from the room. The front doors were blocked, so I vaulted over the railing of the left staircase, ran up the stairs and through the alcove, through the curtain, into the hallway. There were people by my door. I ran to Sunset's room, as fast as I could, barely reaching it before they reached Silverstar's room. I closed and locked the door, sprinted to the wall, and hoped that nobody was in Silverstar's room. A quick glance assured me that Sunset was not in her room. Her armoire had been knocked over, so there was no way she'd gone the way I had.

The wall slid to the ground as I heard people working the doorknob, but there was nobody in her room. Though her room was trashed, and I knew it would piss her off once she saw it, I gave a quick glance and ran through there, to the other wall, opening it as I had the other. Both walls were up before I was completely in my own room. I had to move quickly to keep from being caught from the closing wall. It was as though even the palace knew we were under attack.

I ran to my armoire, noticing it was the only armoire on its feet, noticing, also, it was the only armoire attached to the ground. I'd never noticed that before. Sunset's and Silverstar's armoires were six inches above their floors. Mine was attached to the floor. I'd closed the doors just as the door to my room opened.

"Where is that little brat? She disappeared. There's no way she just disappeared. We're missing something."

"That's the second time one of those Hyuga brats disappeared. Like ghosts, they are!"

I examined the floor, listening to them toss my room, hoping they'd give me a hint where Sunny and Silv had disappeared at. There was no trick door, nothing. I didn't know how he'd gotten it open.

Then I remembered. The glow. He'd used his Chakra. How, though?

I pressed my hand to the floor, running my Chakra through it, and found that inside the wood, there was a little maze. I ran my Chakra through the maze, and the floor opened. I could see them coming toward the armoire. I jumped down. The ceiling slit shut just as I heard the armoire doors open. This time, I was awake to notice that two doors had slid closed. Two doors had opened. So if they managed to get the armoire off the floor, they wouldn't find a hole.

Smart, Papa. Smart. I scurried through the tunnel, finding the starstone quickly, and took the same route as before, except this time, instead of taking the far left when I came to the three-way split, I went to the far right, finding, after two more turns, another Starstone, with another note.

"Starlight,

Use the Starstones to open the door the way you do in your room."

It took me a minute to realize the note was worded so nobody but me or my twins would understand it. I pressed my palm to the Starstone, ran my energy through it, and a section of the wall that was about two feet wide slid into the ground. I crawled through it, taking the note with me, just in case someone else found it, and found another Starstone. I pressed my palm to it and pushed my energy through it.

The floor opened up beneath me, and I fell, cupping my hands over my mouth to quell a scream. I landed on my feet, in a small room. There was only one door in the room, and with a quick inspection, the door led to the bathroom. No escape, no other way in. There was a bed, a stove, a fridge, a table with one chair, counters, and a bookshelf inside. There was a note pinned to the fridge.

"Starlight,

You have done well reaching this point. Now listen carefully. There are no television sets in this room, nothing that will cause noise, because this is your safe room. Sunset and Silverstar have one of their own. It was important to separate you three so they would not get hold of all three of you.

I know you don't like being without your sisters, but this was for your own safety. You are to stay down here for at least a week before trying to come up again. There are plenty of books, writing materials, and food for you to live on for that short time. There are weapons in the dresser, and a disguise. Wear the disguise when you leave, and be sure to keep the weapons on you at all times.

Remember your training. Do not let them come up behind you, but if they do, use your wings. If nobody comes for you, you are to wait out the week. Stay hidden, stay inside, stay silent. Do not let him find you.

Stay safe, my dear one, and know, everything I do, I do for you."

I shifted my weight, looking around. "Papa. Oh, what am I to do?" Dropping all the papers I'd been carrying, I walked over to the dresser. All but the last two drawers were filled with clothes. The left side of the bottom drawer was filled with weapons. The other side was filled with a wig, holsters, and wraps.

Wrapping my arms around my torso, I made my way to the bed, dropping onto it to curl into a ball. I covered my face with my hands. My chest felt heavy, eyes starting to water.

I cried.

Days passed, though I wasn't sure how many. It was hard to keep track. There was no sunlight to check, no clock, nothing. I could feel time passing, though I had no way of finding out exactly how much time was passing.

I finally got tired of waiting, and had to find my sisters. Knowing no other way out, I pulled the table under the place I'd come out at, having kept the notes where I'd dropped down at. I climbed up, pressed the Starstone at the very top of the wall. The door slid open, and I pulled myself up and through. It closed as I was scurrying away.

I took my time getting out this time, listening as much as I could, but I heard no voices. When I pulled myself up into my armoire, nobody was around. Nobody was in the hallway, either, and I still heard nothing. "Sunset? Silverstar?" I called out, against my better judgement.

No answer.

I sprinted toward Silverstar's room, opening it to look around. Finding no trapdoors, or hidden tunnels, I left, searched Sunny's room in the same way, and made me way to my mom and dad's room.

Where I found my father face down in the carpet stained red. My breath froze. I backed away. "D-daddy?"

No response.

Slowly creeping toward him, I reached one hand out, touching his wrist. With a small yelp, I pulled back instantly. His skin was freezing.

"Dear one, I never intended you to find your father in such a state."

I yelped again, standing and whirling to see the cloaked man behind me. "Get away from me," I warned breathlessly.

"Not a chance. If you think I'm going to give you even a chance to disappear again, you are sadly mistaken!" He rushed forward.

Ducking under his arm, I started to run toward the door, only to have another cloaked man appear. I turned sharply, ran to the bathroom door to shut and lock it. Deep breaths, deep breaths.

"Get her before she has a chance to hide."

I ran to hide behind the wall keeping the toilet and shower hidden from the hot springs. There was a window above the toilet, and I took a deep breath, climbing onto the toilet to break the window out. I climbed out, reaching up to grab onto the edge of the roof.

The bathroom door smashed open, and I heard, "Get her before she disappears again!"

"Too late," I muttered, pulling myself onto the roof. Remembering the night, over two years ago, I'd nearly fallen off the roof, I took a deep breath. Oh, I wish you were here right now! Knowing I had no time to waste, I started making my way toward the balcony attached to the very last guest room. It was slow, until I heard, "She went out the window, break the wall, get out there!"

Then, ignoring the risks, I started to run, gaining courage by remembering the night I'd almost fallen. I ran to that balcony, dropped down, and tried to open the door. It was locked. Taking a deep breath, I broke the glass. With a wincing look at my bloodied fist, I hoped I would not have to break a third glass pane. I looked around the room, trying to discern what to do from there, but realizing I had little choice. I ran to the door, flinging it open.

The hallway was now empty, with everyone in my father's bathroom, or on the roof–I could hear footsteps on the roof now. I ran out into the hallway, down the hallway, and threw the curtains out of my way, throwing the door open, and started to run down the stairs–

A hand grabbed my arm. Looking back, I met yellow eyes, but I could not see inside his cloak enough to see his face. My breath caught.

Blood spurted, he groaned, letting go, and backed away. "What the hell!?"

"Get away from my sister!" Big Brother was hanging onto the railing with everything he had, and his leg was a torn mess. His chest and left arm were bloodied to the point I could no longer recognize him. His face was a mess of blood and bruises, but he held three kunais in his hand, readying to throw them. "Starlight, get down here to me, now!"

I nodded, running down the steps. "Papa's dead, Big Brother."

He nodded, placing his bloodied hand on my head. "Starlight," he moved his hand off my head, reaching inside his pocket for something, and held a vial out to me. "It's my blood. I didn't want it to go to waste. Take it, and leave. Get out of here. Leave this freak to me."

My heart stopped. "I'm not leaving you."

"Oh, yes, you are. Take your horse, use your wings, I don't care, however you can do it best. Just get out of here."

"Big Brother-"

He turned leafy green, angry eyes to me. "Starlight, I will not tell you twice!"

I caught my breath, staring up at him, clutching the vial.

He knelt, clutching me to him in a hug. "You have what's left of me, and I will hold him off long enough for you to get away. Just go. Now." He let me go, pushed me toward the door so he stood between me and the golden-eyed man.

A nod. Swiping at my eyes, I ran out the door as quickly as I could, running fast enough my legs started hurting, but I ran anyway. My heart was pounding, and it felt like it was breaking. Everything was so dark, I could barely see anything, but I ran, and ran. Not giving myself time to think of where I was going.

I didn't stop until I came to the Waterfall Place. Tears in my eyes, I ran to the cliff, staring up as I started to climb. Up, up, and up, I went, as fast as I could. I heard voices, but it didn't stop. I couldn't stop. I reached the top, and to my surprise, as I pulled myself up, I wasn't alone.

Kartwer sat there on a big chair, legs crossed, high heel dangling off one foot. She seemed disturbingly unperturbed for what was happening. She stood, walking toward me. "Dear Starlight. Did you really think you would get away? Meet up with your sisters? Be all safe and comfy while the rest of them burnt? I don't think so." She stomped down on my hand.

I let go with that one hand, clinging with the other. "What are you doing!?"

"What I've dreamt of doing since you were born! Dropping you in water to watch you sink!" She stomped on my other hand.

I let go, but had already grabbed a root with my other hand. "Kartwer, stop! I'm your sister!"

"You are not my sister! I have no sisters! You took everything I ever wanted, everything! You took father's attention, you stole my brother, you took the Clan I wanted to marry into! You took everything! You got the better fiancé. You got the better village. You got the better future, while I got to sit around in a tiny little village with a mean-nothing person!"

"You were betrothed to Suna's-"

"Not anymore! He turned me down! Said I had an ugly personality. And poof. He was gone. Leaving me with nothing but a tiny betrothal request from some unimportant bullshit boy, while you? You get to go off to be with the Clan I wanted since I was born. I wanted him before he was even born, and you got him! You did! I don't know what makes you so fucking special, little sister, but I can guarantee, after this, you won't be. Everyone's going to feel bad for the girl who survived her family's murder. And I'll have something in common with him. I'll have been ridden of you, I'll get the Clan and the fairytale I wanted, and best of all! I steal your own betrothed from you." She knelt, cupping my chin in her hand. "That's the best vengeance I can think of. Kill you, and steal your fiancé, steal your place. Your future."

I glared at her. "You destroyed everything, because you are a petty, jealous bitch!" With that, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of it all, I jerked my chin out of her hand and let go on my own, falling. I hit the water, hard, going under. Opening my eyes wide, I stayed under. She knew I couldn't swim.

At least, not well. Underwater, I kicked and flailed my way toward the rushing water. Though I hoped she had no idea, there was a hidden cave behind that water fall. I made my way toward it, toward the underwater entrance. There was no way to get in unless you were underwater. Kartwer would not know that.

I would not know that, if not for Silv. Her ability to transform into her Nymph form was the only thing that helped save me. She'd told me all about the hidden cave. The only thing she'd never told me is if there was a place above water. I was risking my life hoping there was.

As it turned out, there was a tiny opening when I surfaced that led to a larger, dry cavern. The opening was just barely big enough to me to squirm through. Finding it just in time, I thanked Silverstar a hundred times as I huddled in the larger cavern, shivering, terrified and angry. I waited there, waited, hoping she would leave soon. It got dark before I made my way out. I started running back toward the horse pasture. It wasn't until I could see it that I realized it was a bad idea.

A sense of dread came over me, though I wasn't sure why. I hopped over the fence, crept toward the barn, looking for my horse. I didn't even bother grabbing the saddle, because I just couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was waiting. My horse was safe, and I opened the stall, jumping onto her instantly. Grabbing onto her mane, I kicked her lightly into movement, keeping my eyes peeled. Careful, Starlight, careful.

Out in the pasture once again, still nothing was there, but I couldn't shake the feeling.

"So, you were faking me out. I waited for hours for you to come out."

A chill ran down my spine. I turned my head to see Kartwer leaning against the fence. "Why don't you just let me be?"

"Why don't you just die?" I could feel her Chakra building. She held her hand up, palm upward. Red rose petals floated around her hand. "You are the bane of my existence, Starlight Wincan."

My heart was pounding. I locked my legs around Stariyanna, ready to dodge, hands clenching around Stariyanna's mane. "You can't do this."

"Well, well. You found her. Good job, Kartwer." My heart stopped. The yellow-eyed man walked around to stand by her. "Hello, there, darling."

"You-you brought him here, didn't you?"

"Of course I did, little sister. We waited there for you to come out, but you either found a good place to hide, or dear little Silverstar taught you to transform into a Nymph."

I clenched my teeth together. "I won't forgive you for this, Kartwer. And if it takes the rest of my life, I will take your life."

"I don't think you're going to have time for that," the man said.

My heart was pounding, but I wasn't going to let him know that. I needed to remain calm, think rationally.

"So what are we going to do with her, anyway?"

"We're going to use her as bait to find the other two. I'm sure we can figure out a way to do that."

Smoke. Why was I smelling smoke? "You're not getting rid of me that easily, you bastard! Get away from my sister!" Big Brother? He was barely on his feet, but he was making his way here. "Starlight," he limped passed me, "this is going to be my last stand. You have to get out of here." His voice was breathless, weak, and I could see that he was on his last leg. He smelled strongly of smoke. When he had his back to me, I could see why. There was a large portion of his back that was burnt to a crisp.

How was he still standing? "Big Brother. . . ."

He still had one last knife in his hand. "Start it up, Starlight. Go."

"You? How many times do I have to kill you before you stay dead?"

"Unfortunately for you," he panted, "you bit off too much for you to chew." His head turned toward Kartwer. "And you, leasing this monster on our family! You have no idea what he's done to us before. You are singlehandedly responsible for destroying our family."

"Like I really care, brother. Did you know, he's only our half brother? He's mother's bastard son from a previous marriage."

"I'll just finish you off quickly. Beheading you seemed too extreme before, but I guess that's the only way to get rid of a roach, tear it to pieces." There was a kunai in his hand as he said it.

"Don't bother," Big Brother panted. "I'm on my way out. I only have one more move. One move I hoped never to use. Starlight, get out of here."

I backed Stariyanna up, turned her around, and started to run.

"Throw it, don't let her get away, but don't hit a vital spot."

"Got it."

Looking back, I saw the rose-petaled attack rushing for me. I jerked Stariyanna to the side, but the attack brushed my face. Knocking me sideways, I clung to my horse to stay on, but I felt the blood stream down my cheek. Another blast hit my side. I urged Stariyanna into a gallop, holding on with one hand while I pressed my other hand to my side. Feeling the warmth of blood, I urged her faster.

Something sharp bit into my shoulder, and I reached back, feeling a throwing needle embedded deep in my shoulder. Glancing back, I saw my brother start to glow a deep, forest green color. The glow strengthened, growing. He turned to look back at me. "Get out of here, now! If you get caught in this, it could kill you!"

Yanking the needle out of my shoulder, I threw it to the ground, then clung to Stariyanna with all I had.

An outward explosion of energy threw both me and Stariyanna forward. We rolled, her atop me, and I felt my ribs ache from the roll, but she stood quickly, and I climbed onto her again, looking back. All three of them were on the ground, but I could still sense that Kartwer and the cloaked man were alive, while Big Brother's energy had left him. He was gone. The other two's energies had lessened, but they were still alive. He'd essentially blown himself up.

I kicked Stariyanna into motion, and she shot off. She was one of the fastest horses we had. I heard galloping behind me, and saw the black horse that had been given to Sasuke following my horse. He kept pace with my horse, jumping over the fence with me, and I wasn't sure if it was a good idea for him to follow me, but I also knew he couldn't stay there.

Clinging to Stariyanna with everything I had, I tried as hard as I could to ignore the pain of my wounds.

Though I had little to no idea where the hell I was going, I continued onward, as fast as Stariyanna could go. I clung onto her back even as I started to weave in and out of consciousness.

Everything went black.

"She's okay. She's wounded, but she's okay."

My eyes opened slowly. Blurrily, the world came into view. For a moment, I thought my dad was leaning over me. I tried to smile, closing my eyes. "Papa," I said softly.

"She's a little delusional, but she's waking up." The voice was wrong, though. My eyes opened again to see a silver-haired man with one visible black eye leaning over me. Most of his face was covered by a mask, and a tilted headband. "Well, it's about time you woke up."

I started to sit up, but my side protested the movement. A gasp, and I fell back, gasping again when my wounded shoulder hit the bed. "Where am I?"

"You're in Konohagakure. You're lucky we were out to find you. You were passed out with two horses. Was there a second rider with you?"

I shook my head. "No. Bolt just followed me and Stariyanna. Where are my horses?"

"They're outside, tied to a tree. They kept trying to get into the building."

I closed my eyes, but when I closed my eyes, I saw my father lying on the carpet stained red. My eyes snapped open.

"While you're awake, I have to ask what your name is, and where you're coming from."

"I'm Starlight Wincan, I'm betrothed to Uchiha, Sasuke. I am seven years old, and from Hoshigakure. My father is Junsei Wincan. My mother is Khris Wincan. My brother and sister are Bolestrole and Kartwer Wincan. I am the youngest of triplets, Sunset, Silverstar, and Starlight Wincan."

"How did you get injured?"

Silence. I closed my eyes, letting myself see the visual of my father. "My sister tried to kill me last night, along with a man in a black cloak with yellow eyes. They brought a bunch of people with them. I got away because my brother sacrificed himself for my life."

"We'll have to take her to the Hokage. He'll know what to do with her."

"She has the Hyuga eyes, Kakashi-San."

A small nod. "I noticed. I've heard of the contract between our village and Hoshigakure, but only the Hokage and the Clan the contract was signed with."

"So, we're taking her in." A nod. "All right, then. Shall we?"

"Right." The silver-haired man's eyes met mine. "She's in no condition to move. One of us will have to get the Hokage."

The man in the mask nodded, but didn't move for several minutes while the white-haired man stared at him. "Oh! Right! Sorry, Kakashi-San. I'll be right back." He opened the door behind him, running out.

"The Hokage should be here soon. He will know what to do with you." He pulled a book out, moving to sit by a white, plushy chair, stretching his legs out.

Moments passed. I lay there, staring up at the ceiling. I felt the vibrations of the ground before the door opened. The man with the mask was standing behind an old man. His arms were crossed behind his back. "Well, I was surprised to hear of your arrival here, Starlight Wincan."

I stiffened slightly, knowing it was proper for me to bow, but when I tried to sit up again, my body didn't cooperate. A small, harsh sound fell from me. "I would stand, Milord, but as you can see. . . ."

He nodded. "I see. You have been gravely wounded, young one. Mind telling me how?"

I stared up at the ceiling, grabbing onto the thin, white blankets covering me. "My sister led a man to destroy my family."

"Did anyone else survive?"

My eyes closed. I felt my eyes tear. I shook my head. "I don't know." My voice was soft. "My father hid me in a secret tunnel under our house. It led to a hidden room, and I hid out there for awhile, but I ended up being caught by my sister, and she tried to kill me. I think my own sister got closer to killing me than anyone else did. She threw a throwing needle at me, and attacked me twice, and threw me off a cliff. My sister," I clenched my eyes, fisting my hands tightly, "my own sister tried to kill me."

"And very nearly succeeded, I see."

A small nod. "She told me she wanted to be the sole survivor. She wanted to give me and my twins to that man. She told me she hates me–she wants to see me dead. She's responsible for–my brother, he-he blew himself up to give me time to get away. He protected me, with everything he had. In the end, I wasn't strong enough to help him. I watched him die, and I couldn't do anything." I covered my face with my hands. "I hate her! How can someone do this to their family! She said she hated me for taking father's attention off of her, but how does killing him help?! How?!

A hand touched my shoulder. Looking up, I met the dark eye of the silver-haired man. Though I could not see his face, it looked as though he was smiling. "Right now, it feels like the entire world is crashing down on you, and I know you feel guilty for leaving your brother behind, for watching him die, but think logically, like a true Ninja would. Would you rather his sacrifice be for nothing, or would you want his sacrifice to mean something? If you had not left him, his sacrifice would mean nothing."

I stared up at him, eyes wide. "But . . . why? Why would he sacrifice himself for me? Why would she bring him to kill Mama and Papa, why?"

He shrugged. "Nobody can answer that but the people in question. One day, perhaps you'll be able to question them, but for now, you have to focus on getting better, and getting stronger."

"Kakashi is right, my child. You are young yet, and you have time to have those answers, but you must take time to heal first." The bed bowed, and I turned to see him sitting on the edge. "You have been unconscious for a couple days, and it has given me time to look into your contract with my village. Once I verified the contract, I notified the Clan of your arrival, and they've been readying a room for you."

That reminded me. "Wait. Kartwer said something that . . . stuck out to me, about them."

You get to go off to be with the Clan I wanted since I was born. I wanted him before he was even born, and you got him! You did! I don't know what makes you so fucking special, little sister, but I can guarantee, after this, you won't be. Everyone's going to feel bad for the girl who survived her family's murder. And I'll have something in common with him. I'll have been ridden of you, I'll get the Clan and the fairytale I wanted, and best of all! I steal your own betrothed from you.

"She said . . . after the stories of her family dying, and her being the only survivor, she'd have something in common with Sasuke. What did she mean?"

The old man seemed to freeze. "I don't know. That is an odd thing to say."

"So his family isn't . . . ?"

He shook his head. "They're perfectly safe for the moment. Do you think she was planning a similar attack?"

"I-I don't know. I hope not."

"We'll be sure nothing happens to them. Do you think you could give a good description of the man your sister brought?"

I shook my head. "I never saw his face. Just yellow eyes."

"And your sister. I'm afraid I can't find a picture of her. I only have a picture of you on file. What does she look like?"

"She has dark gold, light brown hair, and blue eyes. I-I think she looks more like Mama than the rest of us." I thought about it for a moment. "Actually, her hair is kinda red, too."

"Hm. I will send a team out to your home, to see what we can find. Perhaps it is not too late to help any possible survivors." He stood. "I will let the family know it's safe to come in."

"W-wait. Where am I, exactly?"

"The medical center." The old man left.

"How long have I been here? How are my horses? Are they being cared for?"

"Your horses are fine. You should be much more worried with your own recovery."

"You said they were tied outside, to a tree?"

A small nod, he turned the page in his book, having resumed reading it. "Yes, they are outside. They kept trying to follow you."

"It's what they are trained to do, follow their rider." I tried to get comfortable on the bed, but my body wasn't obeying. Everything hurt too much. I must've started to doze a bit, because the next thing I was aware of, I could hear voices.

A female voice was saying, "She's still very wounded, so don't expect much out of her. She still weaves in and out of consciousness, and needs her bandages changed daily. If you see any blood, she must be brought right back here. Understand?"

"Got it," another female voice answered. "Did she say what happened, how she got hurt?"

"I haven't been informed of anything, so you will have to ask her once she wakes up."

"How bad is she hurt?" another voice asked. A little boy. I recognized that voice. "Is she going to be scarred?"

"No, I don't think she will be scarred, but she was fairly injured. She will need plenty of rest and time to recover."

I heard the door open, and two sets of footsteps. "Oh, Nii-San! How are the horses?"

"We got them settled nicely, though it wasn't easy to get them to follow us." I recognized that voice, too. "They're resting in the brand new pasture, right now."

"The Hokage informed me that her family has been slaughtered. We are to be on lookout for her sister. She attempted to murder her, and succeeded in the assassination of the rest of her family."

Everything silenced. I refused to move, but I felt my breathing stop.

"I have received the orders from Lord Hokage. She is to resume her training here in our village. Her stay will be with us."

"Yes!" the boy cheered. "She's gonna stay with us? Really?"

"Looks that way."

"Well," the woman said softly, "I always wanted a daughter."

"I will get some medical supplies together for you to take with you." I heard the door open, heard departing footsteps.

I could hear someone walking toward me, feel the air vibrating as whoever it was stepped toward me. The bed shifted, moving as someone crawled toward me. The pillow shifted under my head, and an arm slid under my neck. The blanket was thrown off me, and another arm was slid under my knees. I was lifted. "Ready to go!"

"We can just wake her."

He jumped off the bed, and I barely felt his landing. "You heard the medic. She's in no condition to travel under her own power. Someone's gonna have to carry her anyway, right?"

"Nii-chan, are you sure you can handle her the whole way?"

"I'm strong enough!"

"All right. If you get tired, I'll take over."

I let my head fall against his shoulder, let myself weave into unconsciousness. The next thing I was aware of, I was lying on a bed again, with someone lifting me up.

"Up, up, Star," a voice was saying softly. My shoulder protested the movement, and I groaned. "Wake up." It was dark, and he was whispering, so I had to assume everyone else was asleep.

My eyes opened, meeting black, upturned eyes. "W-what?"

He leant me against the headboard, reaching to the side, picking up a glass. "Drink this. It'll make you feel better."

Wrinkling my nose, I took the glass. "It's that stuff from before, isn't it?"

He nodded.

"You're going to make me drink it even if I don't want to, aren't you?"

Another nod. "Yes."

Tipping the glass to my lips, I drank, downing it quickly. He took it back, setting it on the floor, and I felt better almost immediately. The pain in my shoulder, the pain in my head, the pain in my abdomen, it all faded nearly instantly. "How does it do that?" I asked him, staring at him. "Heal me?"

A small shrug. "I dunno how it works. It just does." He shifted his weight, staring down at his lap. "What . . . what happened, Star? They said-they said Kartwer . . . ?"

My eyes closed. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Star. . . ." A hand touched my shoulder. "It'll make you feel better, if you just talk to me. I can't protect you if I don't know what I'm protecting you from."

Eyes closed, hands covering my face, all I could see was the image of my father lying on the blood-stained carpet. Of my brother standing between me and my attackers. Of his still body.

Of watching my mother get her throat slit.

"I don't know where my sisters are," I said softly. "I don't know if they're dead."

"We can go back to find them."

Spreading my fingers, I peeked out behind my hands to look at him. "'We'?"

"Well, you need a Ninja with you to protect you, don't you?"

"I'm a Ninja, too, you know."

He smiled. "But you need backup."

My eyes were burning. "You would go with me to find my sisters?"

A nod. "Of course! I wouldn't let you go alone."

I closed my fingers, curling my knees to my chest. "I just left them there. I didn't mean to. I was gonna get help and come back for them, but . . . I-I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't do it."

"You were injured," he said softly. "It wasn't your fault."

"I watched them all die, Sasuke. I watched my mom die with my own eyes. He slit her throat. I was hiding in a vent. I saw everything. I watched my brother kill himself to protect me. I saw my dad's body. I tried to find my sisters, and I couldn't find them. My sister tried to kill me, and-"

"And not for the first time," he said softly.

I winced. "W-what?"

He looked away as I lowered my hands. "I never told you, but . . . the day you almost died? I saw her, standing on the edge of the cliff. She was glaring at you. I-I didn't say anything, because . . . I thought I was overreacting, but then . . . when you said you were afraid of her. . . . I know I should've told you what I saw, but I didn't want you to be more scared."

"You saw her, too?" My voice was soft. "I thought I was just dreaming. I thought I was crazy or something."

He shook his head. "No. I saw her standing there, too. I saw her hiding in the bushes, too, before I jumped over the cliff's edge to get you."

"Y-you jumped?"

A nod. "Of course. There was no time to climb down. We both just jumped." He shrugged. "Well, he sort of floated down on something, but we both jumped instead of climbing."

"I remember him doing that." The old memory made me smile. "I can't believe it's been two whole years."

He made a face. "I never liked him."

Shrug. "Eh. He was my friend, and I miss him."

Minutes passed in silence, until he sighed. "Star?"

I looked up at him. "Hm?"

He sighed. "We don't necessarily have to be friends, but . . . can we just try to get along?"

I thought about it for a moment. "Fine, but I won't ever stop trying to get out of that contract."

He nodded, extending his hand to me. "Deal?"

I took his hand. "Deal."


	6. Welcome to Konoha

Yellow eyes, following me. I could hear the cloak sliding on the ground, rustling the air. Panting, I was panting. Running. My nightgown snagged on a rosebush, and I stopped to tug it free. As I did, I could see him coming. Closer, closer. He was whispering something, but I couldn't hear it clearly enough through the panic pounding in my head.

Nightgown freed, I turned to run–only to stop short and see my sisters standing there, arms out. "You can't get past us! You won't get to my sister!" they said in unison.

To my surprise, I could see myself behind them, cowering, afraid, crying, and I was moving. Looking down, I was wearing a black cloak. "You can't save her," I said, but it wasn't me. The voice wasn't mine. I wasn't talking."I will get her. I will get all three of you." I raised my arm–but it wasn't my arm. There was a sword in my hand.

My viewpoint switched. I was suddenly behind them, staring at the yellow-eyed man raising his sword. The sword whipped out before I could say anything, and blood flew. My sisters collapsed, Sunny first, Silv second. I screamed, and screamed, as he came closer.

My eyes snapped onto black eyes. I screamed again, pushing at the person above me. "Get away, get away!" I heard a grunt, a thump, and I turned, searching. There was a window in the unfamiliar room. I leapt to my feet, running toward it. I'd reached it when an arm closed around my waist. Another closed over my chest, pinning my arms down.

"Starlight, stop! You're going to get yourself hurt!"

"Let go! Let go of me!"

"No! You're going to get hurt! You don't know the area around here. You can't just go running off in a blind panic! Stop, calm down!" He clasped me to his chest, holding tight. "Stop struggling! Stop it!"

"Let go!"

"No!"

My legs shook, collapsing, and he was holding all my weight even as I tried to get my legs straightened. I was crying. All I could see was the blood flying from my sisters. Everywhere I looked, there he was. The man with the yellow eyes. I collapsed, and he lowered us to the floor, turning me around to clasp me to his chest. I grabbed onto his bare shoulders tightly, then wound my arms around his neck, clinging to him.

He held me, cupping the back of my head, silent. The free arm wrapped around my waist, and he pulled me closer. He said something softly, but I couldn't make his words out.

Clinging to him still, all I could see was the dream. The man. Yellow eyes, staring at me from the darkness of a hood. Blood, everywhere. And I started to hate him. As I sat there, crying, I began to learn the meaning of that word. A word I thought I'd never have reason to say.

I loved my family. Sometimes I thought I hated my sister, or even him, but I never really did. Not if this was anything to go by. This burning hatred that I felt now. It was a darkness in my heart that I'd never known before. Now I knew it. I knew it for the man with yellow eyes, and I knew it for my own flesh and blood. My own sister.

No, I amended. Not my sister. My sisters are Silverstar and Sunset. Sisters don't try to kill you. Sisters love you and want the best for you. They don't bring criminals to your home and destroy everything you've ever known. They don't plot the deaths of their families so they can be pitied. Kartwer Wincan, you are no sister of mine.

You are now my enemy.

"Sasuke, Starlight! Breakfast!"

My eyes opened slowly, wanting desperately to close. A groan fell from me. Why were my cheeks wet? My eyes were swollen. My cheek was pressed against what felt like skin. Blinking, I pushed myself up, only to be pulled back down by an arm around my waist. A groan came from under me. For a moment, I panicked, but when I looked up, I saw black, tousled hair, and closed eyes. I knew that face.

"Sasuke, Starlight! Breakfast! Come on down!" It was a woman yelling up at us.

It took me a minute, but the memories came. I'm at Sasuke's house. He . . . he must've stayed with me last night. Did I fall asleep on him? The last thing I could remember was crying and clinging to him. I couldn't remember anything past that. Only darkness.

"Sasuke, Starlight!"

He finally twitched, groaning again. "Ugh, I am hungry." His eyes opened while I was staring at him. He was staring up at the ceiling, a bemused look on his face, as though it took him a moment to remember, too. Then he smiled, closed his eyes again. "Did you sleep better, Starlight?"

I tensed. Though I hadn't had any nightmares after he came in, I was still very sleepy. Er, maybe not sleepy as much as tired. Not so much physically tired as emotionally.

He twitched, then laughed. "My arm is numb."

"O-oh!" I sprang up, and he let me this time. "S-sorry."

He shrugged, sitting up to stretch his arm. "'S'okay!" He smiled wider at me. "You fell asleep, so I carried you to the bed, but you wouldn't let go of me, so I just stayed."

My face warmed. I looked away. "Sorry," I said softly.

"'S'okay!" he repeated. "Anymore nightmares?"

I shook my head, not looking at him. "No. I-I slept all right."

"Good." He stood, having taken the edge of the bed facing the door. "I'm glad you didn't have any nightmares, but I'm hungry! So let's go eat, okay?"

I nodded. "Okay. Sure."

He gestured to the dresser. "All the clothes we got you are in there. You should have plenty of clothes to choose from."

Nodding again, I pushed myself to the edge of the bed, avoiding looking at him. It was awkward around him, knowing he'd just witnessed me crying. I didn't ever want to do something like that again.

He stretched out his back, stretching his arms out behind him, yawning. "Ah. Well, I'm gonna go get dressed now." He started to turn, then stopped, and looked at me, head tilted. A minute later, he reached forward, grabbing me and pulling me into a hug. "I won't let anyone hurt you." he said softly before letting go. With a small smile, he turned and walked out.

I walked to the dresser, opening the first drawer. The drawer was filled with shirts. The second drawer had shorts. The third had pants. The fifth had underwear. I chose a black, long-sleeved shirt and a pair of black pants, along with black underwear. Checking the shirt, I saw an odd symbol on the back. I tilted my head, staring at it.

A knock at my door. "May I come in?" The voice was familiar. The woman's voice.

I nodded, realized she couldn't see through the closed door, and said, "Uh, yea."

The door opened. The woman walked in. It was my first time seeing her. She had long black hair pulled into a ponytail and kind, black eyes. She was very pretty, and looked very comforting, compassionate. She walked toward me slowly, smiling a kind smile. "I assume you are probably confused. Let's talk for a moment, okay?" She walked toward the bed, sitting on the edge, patting the edge.

Carrying the clothes, I walked to sit next to her.

"I'm sorry about your family, Starlight." She patted my knee. "It'll be okay, though. The Hokage will find out who was responsible, and they will be punished. However, that's not what I came here to talk to you about." She gently took the shirt from me, turning it over to trace the symbol on the back. "This is the symbol of our Clan. The Uchiha Clan. Because of that contract we signed with your family," she looked at me, "you are as good as family to us.

"And because of this, you can wear our symbol on your back. You are welcome here, and will be treated as family. The Hokage has okayed the idea of you becoming a Leaf Ninja, which means once you're ready, you will join Sasuke in the academy. I know it's probably not what you saw for your life, and maybe it even feels a bit like a betrayal to your own village to become a Leaf Ninja, but you are lucky, really, to be given that opportunity.

"We didn't expect the Hokage to be so generous with you, but I, for one, am grateful." She smiled. "I'm outnumbered by the guys here, and it's always nice to have a team member be added, you know? At least I can have someone to teach certain things to now. And I know you're better off here than being found by someone random in the forest. You're safe here, Starlight, surrounded by some of the strongest Ninja around. And I want you to know, you are welcome here, too." She smiled, tilting her head, eyes closing. "It's something we didn't see coming, but we will all make the best of it."

She stood. "Come. I will give you the grand tour of the complex after breakfast. Or Sasuke can, too. I'm sure he'd enjoy that."

"Mother, Sasuke has to get to the Academy," the voice came from the doorway. "And I have to go to finish my mission. Dad will be gone today, too, so it looks like you'll have to give her the grand tour."

She smiled. "Good. It's nice to have some girl time, isn't it?" She directed that smile at me.

And though I didn't admit it, the words "girl time" frightened me. I was never the most girly one. "I don't have to wear any gowns, do I?"

She shook her head. "No. You can wear what you've picked out. I just meant I would give you the tour, show you around, and teach you a few things that I haven't been able to teach my boys." She smiled at the boy in the doorway. "No offense, Itachi-Chan, but you don't have exactly have the best cooking skills or gardening skills."

He smiled back. "I know, mother. It's okay." He turned the smile to me. "It's been a couple years, but I hope you remember me."

I nodded. "You're Sasuke's brother. I remember you. You're the one that helped teach me how to throw a kunai."

He smiled. "I'm glad you remember me, but I have to go now. I hope you enjoy your time here with my mother. I'm sure that once you get the hang of this place, she'll let you walk around the village, too." He smiled one last time before leaving.

The woman stood. She was still smiling. "By the way, my name is Mokoto. Come, I will show you to the bathroom."

"You fold them like this," she demonstrated, folding the dough in half again, "and take the knife. Cut it at the ends. And you have noodles! One they dry. You air-dry them."

I followed her lead, peeking over at hers. Hers were much more neat, more straight, than mine. I frowned at my messily folded dough.

She chuckled. "You'll just get better and better at it from here on out, so don't worry."

"Mom, I'm home!" The door slammed. I turned in time to see Sasuke spring into the kitchen, grinning. "Iruka-Sensei says I'm the best shot in my class!"

"That's great, sweetie. I'm so proud of you." She walked toward him, carrying a bowl of soup we'd made, setting it on the table. "Here. Eat up. Starlight and I made this for the family."

He jumped into the chair, grabbing his chopsticks. "Thank you, both of you!" He grinned at me, then started to eat.

"Starlight, why don't you join him? I think you've done enough today. You deserve a break." She smiled at me, returning to her chopping board to finish.

I pulled up a chair, and she set a bowl in front of me. "Thank you, ma'am."

"You're welcome, but you don't have to call me ma'am."

"So what did you two do today?" Itachi spoke, walking into the kitchen. He had a cut under his eye. "Have fun at the academy, nii-chan?"

Sasuke nodded, sucking a noodle into his mouth. "Yup! Sensei says I'm the best shot in class!"

"That's great. What about you two?" He glanced at his mother, but looked at me, smiling softly. "Did you have fun?"

"She taught me how to make noodles, and lots of other things today. And showed me the herb garden."

"She's a master chef in the making." Mokoto set a bowl on the table, sliding it to Itachi. "Here. Eat. Courtesy of me and Starlight."

Itachi sat, taking a bite with his chopsticks. "It's very good. I can see what you mean, mother."

"Thank you!" I said brightly, smiling.

"Sasuke, I was thinking. Why don't you take Starlight out to explore the village?"

He nodded. "'Kay! I'll show her the Academy! When is she joining us there?"

"The Hokage said she can join on Monday."

"Three days? Is he sure she's ready for that?"

"He stopped by with some medics today. Starlight's made a complete recovery already. Not a scratch on her."

He stared at me. "Really. Well, that's amazingly lucky. Just yesterday we were told to change your bandages daily."

"Well, it's really thanks to Sasuke. He helped me."

He shot me a grin. "You're welcome."

Itachi reached over, ruffling his brother's hair. "I'm glad he managed to help you, Starlight. I'm also glad you'll be joining the Academy. You'll make lots of new friends there, I'm sure."

I looked down at my soup, taking a silent bite. "What if people don't like me?"

"Nonsense!" Sasuke said brightly. "I like you. Why wouldn't anyone else?"

"Because I'm weird-looking."

Silence.

"Starlight," Itachi said softly, "not everyone looks the same as everyone else. It would be a very dull world if everyone looked the same, don't you think so?"

I shrugged.

"I think you're pretty," his little brother said. "I don't know why you don't think so."

"Kartwer says-"

"Kartwer tried to kill you," Itachi said softly, "so I wouldn't put any stock into what she had to say to you. You may stand out a bit, but you weren't meant to blend in. Sometimes it's best to stand out a bit. Set yourself apart from others. Embrace your unique skills, instead of running from them or trying to change them. You are you, and that should never change."

"Yea. Besides, I like you. I like how you stand out, because you're not like anyone else. And I like that. You're pretty, and I don't care what anyone says."

I stared at my soup for a minute, then nodded. "Okay. I can go explore. Might as well, right?" I forced a small, half smile. "I'm gonna be here for awhile, anyway."

"Great!" Sasuke picked his bowl up, drank the last bit of broth. "Whenever you're ready."

I glanced up at him, with a slight nod. "Okay. I'm ready. I've already eaten a lot today. I'm not very hungry."

"She's right. She and I indulged in some sweets earlier." Mokoto smiled. "We'll have some of those sweets when you get back, okay?"

Sasuke nodded, sprinting over to me, grabbing my hand. "All right, mom. We'll be back. I promise." He pulled me toward the door. "We will take the forest path to the village, so I can show you my favorite places. 'Kay?"

I nodded. "Yea. Sure."

A couple hours later, we were walking through the village, and he was pointing out places. "That's Ichiraiku ramen stand. Right there you can get really good sweet dumplings." He stopped, turning to face me, smiling. "You now know the village! Except the Academy. I'll take you there, and we'll head back home. It's getting late. 'Kay?"

I nodded. "Okay."

We ended up in front of a large, fenced in building. There were kids standing around, training, fighting. "Who are these people?"

"Some of them are my classmates–our classmates. Some of them are older, and some are younger."

"Sasuke!" a voice called from beside us. Looking over, I saw a man with brown hair, a headband, and a scar over his nose. He waved. "Is this the new student?" He walked over.

Sasuke nodded. "Yup. This is Starlight Wincan."

"Well, hello, there. I'm Iruka-Sensei. I see you're wearing the Uchiha symbol. A relative of yours, Sasuke?"

He shook his head. "Nope! She's my betrothed. That's what it's called. It's like fiancé, but not quite."

"Oh. I see." He studied me. "Well, Starlight, I'm honored you will be joining our Academy."

"She's really good, too. Her aim is almost as good as mine."

I gave him a look. "'Almost'?"

He smiled. "Yea."

He apparently didn't catch my meaning, and I turned away, not feeling like I really wanted to push the issue. A girl caught my attention, anyway.

She was training by herself in the corner, but her stance was really bad. She kept overreaching or tripping over her pant legs.

"Excuse me," I said softly, walking over to the black-haired girl. "You're overreaching," I told her once close enough.

She jumped, whirling, eyes wide.

I knelt in front of her, rolling her pant legs up a bit. "And you keep tripping over your pants." I rolled both pant legs up just enough to not be in the way, and stood, smiling. "I can help you train, if you want."

Her eyes were still wide. "R-really?"

I nodded, smiling. "I can help you get your balance. Your stance is good, but you keep spreading your legs a bit too far out, and you're reaching too far over."

"O-overreaching?"

I nodded again, demonstrating. "Look, my legs aren't more than shoulder-width apart. Your feet should be no more than shoulder width apart. If they are further apart than that, you will be knocked off balance."

She copied me slowly, eyes still a bit wide. "L-like th-this?"

Nod. "Yup! You got it now!"

A shy, small smile appeared. "Th-thank yo-you."

"You're welcome." I straightened, still smiling. "If you ever want to train with me, let me know. I'll help you get your stances better than anyone else in this school!"

"I-I don't thi-think I cou-could be bet-better."

"Oh, no. You've got promise, really! I bet you'll be better than me in a week."

She smiled shyly. "Y-you're ver-very nice."

"Any time you want to train, just let me know."

With a glance around the classroom, I spotted Hinata, and sprinted toward her, sitting beside her. "Hi!"

She smiled. "H-hi! H-how did y-you sle-sleep?"

I shrugged. "About as well as usual. You?"

"G-great. I-I rea-really lik-liked ha-hanging ou-out."

"Me too. I'm glad you came to the woods with me. I would've gotten lost on my own."

She smiled shyly. "N-no, y-you woul-would've been ok-okay."

"Nah. I'd have gotten so lost. Nobody would've ever found me." I grinned. "But I'm glad you came. It was fun."

"I h-had fun, t-too."

Someone sat on the other side of me. Glancing up, I saw a brown-haired boy with a dirt smudge on his face. It looked like a paw print.

"You have something right there?"

He looked at me. "Huh? Which side?"

"The left side."

He reached up, rubbing at his cheek. "Is it gone?"

I nodded. "Yup. Looked like a paw print."

He grinned at me. "Hey. So, you're the new girl, right?"

"Yup. I'm Starlight."

"Kiba." He reached his hand out to me. "Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you, too."

"So! How long you been training to be a Ninja?"

"Since I was real little."

"Where are you from?"

My heart stopped, thinking of my village. "Hoshigakure," I said softly.

"You have the Uchiha symbol on your back. How come?"

"I'm living with them." I didn't want to say anything about the contract. "I guess that's all the clothing they had, the ones with the symbols on them." I shrugged. "Oh well."

Sasuke glanced back at me, perhaps hearing his Clan's name. I wasn't sure. He was close to the front of the room, having been told the night before I wanted to start fresh, and wanted to sit by Hinata.

I avoided his glance. "What about you? I'm guessing you're from here?"

He nodded. "Inuzuka Clan! We raise dogs." He grinned, and I caught glimpse of sharp canines.

"Hey, you have fangs."

His grin widened, and he nodded. "Yup! It's 'cause we're more canine-like."

"I have them, too. See?"

He nodded. "I saw! Do you get them from your Clan?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Only I got them." I leant back, gesturing to the silent Hinata. "This is Hinata. She's my new friend."

She smiled. "W-we know ea-each other."

"Hey, Hinata! You were so quiet, I didn't even know you were there! What's up?"

"No-nothing."

The man from before stepped into the room. "Settle down, kids. We've got a lot to do today. As some of you have figured out, we have a new student. Because of this, we're going to just do review on everything we've learnt since we've begun learning here."

Kiba sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Today's gonna be an easy day! If it's just review."

"S-sometimes re-reviewing something y-you think you kn-know, you c-can learn m-more."

"That's very true! My dad says that if you don't go back to where you started, you'll never get past where you are." The words fell from me before I realized it, but once I said it, my heart hurt once I realized what I'd said.

A hand touched my shoulder. "Hey, you okay?"

I glanced up at him, giving a small, half smile. "Yea. Why?"

"Well, I'm pretty good at sensing other people's feelings." He patted my shoulder. "And I thought that you felt sad."

I shrugged. "I'm okay. Really."

"Up, boys and girls. Up. We're going outside. We are going to test ourselves and see where we all are in our training. So, follow me!"

The students stood, and I stood with them, following everyone outside, to the fenced in area.

The man stood near the door. "We are going to have a sparring session."

"S-sparring?" Hinata stammered.

"Who's gonna be paired against who?"

"Girls vs. girls, and boys vs. boys. That's how we're going to do it this time. Boys, line up against that wall. Girls, line up behind me."

I followed Hinata, standing behind her in the line.

"Let's do . . . Sasuke against Naruto."

I tensed, looking toward the excited black-haired boy. A blond stepped forward with him, bouncing subtly. "You're going down, Sasuke!"

He laughed. "I guess we'll see about that, won't we?"

"Wait a minute, you two. First of all, let's go over the rules. No weapons at all. The first one to hit the ground is the loser. You must remain on your feet or hands at all times. Once you have fallen, the fight is over. No jutsu."

"Aw," Sasuke said softly, scuffing his foot on the ground. "Okay, fine." He crouched in a fighting stance. "Ready."

The blond bounced up and down, obviously excited, and finally assumed a fighting stance. His stance wasn't very good at all. "I'm ready!"

"One," the Sensei started, "two," a pause, "Three!"

Sasuke didn't move, only subtly bouncing on the balls of his feet. The blond–Naruto–lunged forward, pulling his arm back. Sasuke sidestepped, grabbed the back of his shirt and tossed him away.

Naruto hit the ground, face first. He grunted. "Ouch!"

"Naruto's out."

"What? We just got started!"

"I said the first to hit the ground was out."

"Aw, come on!"

"Those were the rules, Naruto. You should've broken your fall rather than let yourself take it."

Naruto pushed himself up, frowning at the ground. "One day, I'm gonna win. I'm gonna be the best."

"Yea, sure." Sasuke moved to the back of the line, sitting down.

"Girls next. We're gonna go with . . . Ino and Hinata."

Hinata's eyes were wide when I turned to look at her. "I-I c-can-"

"Right! You can." I smiled. "And if you lose, who cares? Just give it your best! You're better than she is, anyway."

She smiled shyly. "Y-you think?"

I nodded. "Of course. You're really good, better than you think you are. Just have a bit more confidence and pretend you are sparring with me!"

A small nod. "Th-thank you." She walked toward the Sensei, meeting the girl with the short blond hair. She slowly got into a fighting crouch, and I could see her hands shaking.

"Whoo! You got this!" I yelled, waving. "Go, Hinata!"

She glanced at me, smiling slightly, and I watched the Sensei call the start of the spar. The blond girl rushed toward her, foot-sweeping her, but Hinata jumped over her leg at the last second, jumping away from her twice, then turned to reach for the blond.

The blond dodged the grab, grabbing Hinata's hand in retaliation.

Hinata's eyes widened. In a quick maneuver, she twisted her wrist out of Ino's hand, and kicked her legs out from under her.

Ino ended up on the ground, eyes wide. "Y-you beat me."

Hinata stared at her with wide eyes. "I-I did it?"

"Good job, Hinata! Go on, to the back of the line, both of you."

Hinata smiled, turned to stare at me. She waved, taking a deep breath, jogged toward me.

I grabbed her in a hug. "I told you you could do it!"

"Th-thank you!"

"For what?"

"B-believing in m-me."

I smiled. "Aw, you don't need me to believe in you. You need you to believe in you!"

"Good job, Hinata!" Kiba called from the other line, waving. "You did great!"

She blushed, giggling a bit, then walked to the back of the line.

The Sensei called out another battle, then another, and another, and then called, "Sakura against Starlight!"

I shot a grin back at Hinata, and jogged toward the Sensei, ready to face my opponent. A girl with short pink hair and green eyes came froward. And for a moment, I was reminded of my twins. Silverstar, with her pale blond hair and light blue eyes, and Sunset with her pink hair and pink eyes. I didn't let that thought stay with me long.

"You got this, Star!" Sasuke called. "Take her down!"

The pink-haired girl's face fell slightly. She pointed at me. "I'm taking you down!"

I crouched, the way Papa had taught me. "I'm ready."

"Ready, Iruka-Sensei."

"One, two, and three."

She darted at me.

Taking a risk, I stood my ground, waiting for her to reach me. Once she was in front of me, I grabbed the collar of her shirt placed my foot in her abdomen, and flipped backward, landing atop her with my hands on her collar, and my foot still in her stomach. I held her there, looking up. "Do I win?"

"You win, Starlight."

Green eyes glared at me. "Not fair! She pinned me!"

"I never said you couldn't pin."

"But I can break free!" She reached up, breaking my hold on her collar, and I grabbed her wrists and slammed them down, moving so my knee was in her stomach rather than my foot. She glared at me. "Not fair!"

Knowing I'd beaten her, I stood, then offered my hand down to her. "Sorry, but we were told to test our skills."

She smacked my hand away. "I don't need your help!" She stood, brushed herself off, cast me another glare, and walked to the back of the line.

With a shrug, I joined Hinata.


	7. Camping With Family

On the way back to the compound, I hummed inside my head, thinking about all the things I'd learnt so far. I'd made two friends already, and I was happy with that.

"Starlight, hey, what are you doing, walking home alone?"

Looking up, I caught a glimpse of black eyes before Itachi caught up to me. "I stayed behind to train with my friends."

"I see. Well, it's a good thing I came to check on you. Mom and dad aren't home, so you guys are stuck with me." He smiled softly. "I'm thinking about making some pumpkin pie. How's that sound?"

I smiled. "That sounds awesome."

He smiled, reaching down for my hand. "C'mon, then. Let's go get some food together."

I took his hand, and felt oddly at home. Walking back to the compound, I started to tell him about my day, about how everything went, and he listened. He made comments every now and then, asking me how I felt about Hinata, Kiba, Iruka, and the other students, and asked me a couple times if I felt comfortable at the Academy. It felt good to talk to him about it. When we'd reached the compound, I followed him inside, and he started to busy himself around the kitchen.

Sasuke sat at the kitchen table, bent over some sort of book. He glanced up when I entered, a huge smile crossing his face. "Hey! Starlight, Nii-San! I was wondering where you were. Did you have fun sparring with Hinata?"

I nodded, going over to join him at the table. "Yup. It was really fun. Kiba joined in, and we really had a lot of fun."

Itachi was moving quickly, and he almost immediately had a piece of pumpkin pie on each of our plates. He smiled at me. "I already had it ready. We were just waiting on you, so I ran out to get you."

"Oh. I-I'm sorry! I hope it's not cold. I didn't mean to have anyone waiting for me."

He smiled softly. "Don't worry, Starlight. It's okay. You got carried away, it happens." He pushed a plate toward me. "Unfortunately, I'm not much of a cook, but one thing I know how to do, is pumpkin pie. So that'll have to do for dinner for tonight."

I smiled. "It's okay. I've never had pumpkin pie, anyway, so it's a good experience."

"Well, I hope you like it." He stood quickly. "I forgot the teas. Sasuke, you want tea, right?"

He nodded. "Yup. Star prefers milk, though."

"I'll get her milk, then."

I stared at Sasuke. "H-how did you know I prefer milk?"

"Whenever you're offered tea, you turn it down, but when you're offered milk, you accept," he said quickly. "So I figure you must like milk a lot better than tea."

I nodded. "I-I do, but I didn't think it was noticeable."

"It is."

A glass of milk was set in front of me, and a cup of tea in front of Sasuke. Itachi sat back down. "I should know that, but I'm really not home a lot lately. I apologize for that."

"It's okay," I said softly. "No worries."

"Great. Well, I'll be home tonight, so we'll have dinner, watch a couple movies, and then you two will go to bed promptly at nine. Understood?"

Despite his warnings of going to bed promptly at nine, we stayed up until eleven, watching movies until nine, when he offered to take us outside to help us practice throwing, which we took him up on. After that, he helped Sasuke better his Jutsus, and I sat aside and watched.

Finally, when we were both tired, we ended up going to bed, and after much pleading, Sasuke and I shared his room, while Itachi read a story to us.

It was all so homey. It made me miss my brother. Laying in bed after everyone had fallen asleep, I curled on my side, ignoring the boy behind me, and started to cry.

He turned over, and, still deep in sleep, threw his arm around me and mumbled, "'S'okay to cry."

And I fell asleep like that, feeling almost more at home with this family than I had with my own family.

When I awakened, he still had his arm around me, and he was curled around my back. It was Itachi's voice calling up to wake up, and I found myself wondering what happened to his mom waking us up. I found myself slightly missing her wakeup calls.

He groaned. "Five more minutes," he grumbled, arm around my waist tightening. "Ugh. Too early."

"And this, Nii-Chan, is why we go to bed at nine, instead of eleven or later." The voice was right in the room.

He groaned again. "Nii-San, we don't have classes today! Why are you waking me up?"

"Because I figured you'd enjoy going on a little mission of our own."

At that, he rolled away instantly and jumped up. "With you?"

He nodded. "Yup. Starlight's going to have to come, too, of course."

At those words, I was suddenly being shaken. "C'mon, c'mon! We're going on a mission! Get up!"

This time, it was me groaning. "What mission?"

"We're going to go camping."

That made my eyes open wide. I sat up. "C-camping? Like, for real?"

A nod. "There's a catch, though. We need to gather herbs. This is a learning camping trip, to learn what herbal remedies are used for what, and what the names of certain herbs are, and what their uses are."

Actually sounded like a lot of fun. "So, what kind of herbs are we gonna be learning about?"

"Stuff like nightshade, I hope."

He laughed. "Well, you'll just have to get up and find out. Be ready in ten minutes."

Fifteen minutes later, we were hiking through the forest. Every few seconds, we would stop, and Itachi would point out a plant and tell us about it. After about an hour of that, he started pointing out plants and asking us what they were.

It went on for a bit, until it started to grow a little dark, then we set up camp. Once everything was set up, we sat under the stars, staring up at them while Itachi pointed out constellations.

Until I shivered.

Sasuke looked over at me. "Are you cold, Starlight?"

I shrugged, wrapping my arms around my torso. "I'm fine." I hadn't really thought he'd notice.

He stripped his long sleeved shirt off, tossing it at me. "Here. Put this on. Nii-San and I will make a fire. Right?" He smiled at his brother.

Itachi nodded, standing up. "Right, Nii-Chan. I apologize, Starlight. I didn't realize it was growing cold. I'll gather some firewood. Sasuke, make a little pit."

He nodded, moving forward to start digging with his hands until he created a small, patted down pit. By the time he'd finished, Itachi had returned with an armful of sticks, and a couple logs. "All right, good job, Nii-Chan. Would you do the honors of lighting it?"

He nodded, eyes lighting up. "Yup!" He took a step back, eyes locked on the campfire, and after a couple, quick handsigns, he lit the fire. His eyes lit up more. "Hey, I did it on my first try!"

"Good job, Nii-Chan! I'm proud of you." He walked over to him, mussing his hair. "Good job."

He smiled up at his brother, then over at me, walking over quickly. He held his hand out. "C'mon, you're gonna have to get closer than that to get warm."

I took his hand, let him pull me to my feet, and lead me to the fire. Pulling my hand free, I sat down, curling my knees against my chest. "So, did we get lots of good herbs today?" I looked up at Itachi.

He nodded. "We did well today. I'm proud of you both for finding the ginger root, too." He smiled at me. "And great job locating the mint, Starlight."

I smiled. "I could smell it."

"Right." He tossed something at me.

I caught it, looking down. The ginger root. "What's this for?"

"Smell it."

I smelled. It had an interesting smell. I liked it. "What for?"

"Now you can smell when it's nearby. It'll be much weaker, but you'll get better and better at it." He caught it when I tossed it back, then tossed it at Sasuke. "Smell it, memorize the scent."

He smelled, holding it between his hands for a few minutes, staring at it, then tossed it back. "Got it!"

"Good." He put it back into the bag he'd brought with him for the herbs. It had many individual pockets inside it. "Now, let's get some dinner and tea on to boil, and then get some sleep."

"What are we going to eat?"

"I'm going to teach you to hunt, skin, and prepare food. Let's start with rabbits." He'd pulled something from his other bag. A still, fluffy rabbit. "Ready?"

I touched the soft, full fur that had been set aside to dry, finishing off the last of my meat. "What are we going to do with the fur?"

"Well, I was thinking we could make it into a pillow," Sasuke replied. "I mean, it's fluffy and soft, and it would make a cool pillow, wouldn't it, Nii-San?"

"We could do that, but we'll have to catch another rabbit tomorrow. Who wants the honors of catching tomorrow's rabbit?"

"Ooh, me, me!"

Me? I wasn't so sure I wanted to kill a rabbit, then skin it and cook it again. "Why are we doing it that way? Killing the rabbit?"

"Because I want to teach you two to live off the land, rather than having everything served to you hand and foot. It's time for a bit of survival training." He smiled. "Don't worry. Just remember to thank the rabbit for its sacrifices. It sacrifices its life, so you can live on. Always remember to thank him for that."

I nodded. "Okay. I guess I . . . I can do that."

"It's the way the natural world goes, Starlight," he said softly, probably sensing my indecision. "In order to survive, you must be willing to make sacrifices. Must be willing to fight for the right to continue to survive. It's how things are."

I nodded again. "Okay. I understand." I placed what food I had left over on the plate, yawning. "I'm getting sleepy, so I guess I'm going to turn in."

A look crossed his face. "I would wait. Just a few more minutes." He smiled. "It'll be worth it, I promise." He turned toward his little brother. "You finished?"

He nodded, setting his plate down. "Yea, what's up?"

He smiled wider. "Just follow me. It'll be worth it." His eyes twinkled. "But you'll have to hurry." He stood, and waited for us to stand before he started to walk toward the hill. We followed in silence, scurrying behind him, a couple of yawns being the only noise that broke the silence. Once we were settled atop the hill, he stopped, sat down, and looked up, pointing. "Watch."

I sat next to him, watching his little brother sit on the other side of him, and we looked upward. The stars were bright that night, very beautiful. It brought a smile to my face.

Until one shot across the sky. I gasped, and several others followed. "M-meteors!"

"Right! This shower only happens every hundred years or so. I found out it was due to happen tonight, and I thought you two would enjoy it." He glanced at me, bumping my shoulder. "Especially since you were named after the stars."

I smiled wider. "I wasn't just named after them, watch this!" I reached up, focusing on my power, felt it rise, and–much to my own surprise–a large, sparkling star dropped from the sky, fast as lightning, toward us. It fell, faster and faster, and I focused my power on it, pulling it toward us, and stood, raising both arms above my head.

"I-the sta-it's falling!"

"We better move," warned the calm, slightly rushed voice.

I didn't move. "Just stay, you'll be okay!"

In a flash, it stopped a few dozen feet above us. I hadn't expected to actually do something like this, but I followed through with my instincts. My instincts said to draw it in, and I drew it in. It came closer, hovering a few feet now above my hands, and I directed it slowly to a spot next to us, a couple feet away from me, letting it drop.

My energy dropped sharply the instant the star was set on the hill. I swayed, started to fall, and an arm wound around my shoulders, keeping me upright. Glancing up, I met black, wide, shining eyes. I smiled. "'S'okay," I muttered. "Just don't touch it."

His older brother was standing now, too, staring at the glowing, fiery ball. "Did you do that, Starlight?" His voice shook just a bit.

I nodded. "I think so. I didn't mean to, but it's what happened." I'd been about to simply make a small star, like I had for my other friend, but my power had taken a different turn. "I didn't know I could do that."

"I-is that a real star?"

I nodded again, pushing away from him to walk up to it. "You can't touch it, it'll burn you, but I can." I touched it lightly, and it crumbled under my hand. Slowly, at first, but then faster, it turned to dust. "I-I didn't mean to break it." I hadn't, yet I could still feel it connected to me, still feel it deep inside me. I pulled on that link, and watched the dust rise. "I-I can–I can control the dust!" It was draining, and hard to do, but it rose when I pulled at it.

Movement beside me, a ripping sound, and Itachi knelt beside me, holding a small, ragged black square of cloth. "Put some of the dust in here, and you can use it as a bag."

He'd ripped part of his shirt to make that ragged piece of cloth. It wasn't too small, or too large. I held my hands out and pulled the dust toward me, piling it into my hands, and turned, placing it on the cloth.

"It'll be able to hold a lot more than that. Keep going until I tell you to stop."

I nodded, and obeyed. Every time I filled my hands with the dust, I felt a portion of my energy drain away. So hard, but I knew with the right amount of training, I could get better at it. I filled it until he said to stop, then he gathered all four corners together.

"Here, Nii-San," I heard ripping cloth, looked over to see Sasuke had torn a thin strip from his own shirt. "Use this to tie it shut."

"Good idea, Nii-Chan," his brother replied, taking the strip of cloth. He tied it shut. "When we get home, I'll make a better bag for it."

I nodded, taking the bag from him. "Use these cloth pieces for it. I want to remember where the bag came from forever." I smiled up at him.

He ruffled my hair. "All right, little sister. I'll do that for you." He stood, brushed himself off. "Let's get some rest, all right?"

I stared up at him, mind numb from him calling me sister. After a moment, I smiled, and said, "Okay, big brother, let's go sleep!"

He reached down for my hand, took his little brother's hand, and we started off.

I was still going over him calling me little sister once Sasuke and I were settled in the tent. He hadn't joined yet, said he had some more things to do, but I felt . . . oddly happy about being able to call him my brother now.

"You know, you really are a part of this family," the boy beside me said softly, in a thoughtful voice. "I mean, with the contract, you're like, I don't know, an honorary Uchiha. That doesn't bother you, does it?"

I looked over at him. "No, why?"

"I just thought. . . . When he called you that, you looked stunned, and a little sad, and I was just making sure you weren't upset about being part of my family."

I shook my head. "No, no. I just . . . miss my own brother, I guess."

"Well, now, you got another brother." He smiled at me. "And a new family. Even my dad calls you his daughter. I've heard him. Even he thinks of you as family."

"He-he does?"

A nod. "I've heard him, when he talks to my mom, or my brother." I looked over to see him smiling, eyes closed. "I hope you're comfortable, and happy, here. We like having you here."

It made me smile a bit, despite tearing up. "I-I . . . I like being here, too." And it was true. Despite the circumstances, despite everything that had happened, the past few months of being here, of being part of this family. . . .

I really did like it.

"I hope you think of this as your home."

And I was starting to think of this as my home.

What bothered me about that was, I was afraid I was going to forget where I came from.

Even now, closing my eyes, I could barely remember my mom's face, or my dad's face, or my brother's face, or my sisters' faces. I remembered their voices, though, at night. At night, I often would hear my dad tucking me in, wishing me a good night. I would hear my sisters barging into my room minutes later so we could sneak out. I would hear my mother catching us in the middle of that, and sending us to our respective rooms.

And I would hear my sister's chilling, hateful voice, telling me she hated me.

And that, that was when I often started to cry.

Not tonight. Tonight? All I could hear was "little sister." I smiled, rolling onto my side, and closed my eyes. "This is my home," I said softly.

"And this is your family now," came the soft, sleepy reply. "And that'll never change."


	8. Losing Everything Again

"Starlight!" I heard someone calling. Turning, I saw familiar black eyes, black hair pulled into a ponytail, and a familiar smile. "Oh, gotta go, Kiba, Hinata!" I hugged them both, smiling widely. "I gotta go home."

"Bye, Starlight!" they echoed behind me as I took off.

"Hi, Itachi!"

He smiled. "Hey, little sister. Ready to go?"

I nodded. "Yea, I guess. We were just training together again."

He held his hand out. "How did your day go? Learn anything new?"

Another nod. "We were talking about Chakra! Iruka-Sensei said that there were many ways to use it, and he started to explain some things, but said some of the ways to use it were out of our experience range. He said that we could walk on water some day. Can you walk on water?" I looked up at him, eyes wide.

He smiled. "Yes, I can. Sometime, I'll show you, okay?"

"Will you teach me to do it?"

A nod. "Of course."

"He also said that we could walk up walls. Can you do that?"

He nodded. "Yes, of course. I'll teach you that, too."

My eyes widened as I tried to picture him walking up walls. "Like a spider, right?"

He laughed. "Something like that, sure."

"Is it hard?"

"At first, but it gets easier as you get stronger. What else did you learn?"

"We learned about hand signs, and what origin certain ones are from. We learned a lot! Then he had us go outside and practice some. How many do you know? Do you know them all?"

"I'm sure there are some I don't know, but I know a lot."

"He was showing us how to do them, and he got faster and faster. I bet you can do it faster, though!"

He laughed again. "You'll get fast at it, too, soon enough."

As we walked, I talked, bouncing up and down as I did. I'd learnt a lot, and wanted to talk about it all, and as I talked, I got more and more excited.

He led me into the gardens, and I paused my side of the conversation as my eyes caught onto a familiar woman. She had her back to me, but I knew her anyway. Their mom was back! I squealed. "You're back, you're back!"

Sasuke was already outside, bouncing around her, helping her by handing her this and that, and taking this and that. He stopped when he saw me and waved. "Hey, Starlight! How was training?"

I ran over, and his mom stood, turning to smile down at me. "It was fun! Kiba showed me his compound. They have a lot of dogs!"

She laughed. "That's what the Inuzuka Clan is known for. Their abilities with canines."

I stood in front of her, remembering what Sasuke had told me a couple days ago. "S-so how was your trip?"

She smiled. "It was very fun. Did you like camping with Sasuke and Itachi?"

I nodded. "Yea! We saw a meteor shower, and I got this." I paused, reaching into the bag Itachi and Sasuke had helped me make out of the fabric. It had been sewn so it wouldn't just fall apart. I pulled out some dust, held it in my hand. It was silvery-white, and glowed dimly, like millions of tiny, little stars.

"Oh, wow. What is it?"

"It's Star Powder. I can do this with it!" I stared at it, focusing, and it rose slightly, gave a soft, weak swirl, and fell. "I've been working on it, and I still gotta practice, but I can control it! At least a little."

"That's awesome." She knelt, studying the powder. "How did you get it?"

"She brought down a giant star from the sky!" Sasuke said, bouncing up beside her. "It was cool, and scary! I thought we were gonna be crushed, but she controlled it, and made it land, and then it turned to dust and she could control it! It was really cool!"

She smiled again. "I guess you were named after more than just the stars in the sky, huh?"

I nodded, beaming. "I've always known I could do things like that, but I didn't know I could bring down a giant star like that. It was accidental, but I made sure nobody got hurt!"

"That's good. Maybe you can show me some time." She reached out to me, smoothing my hair back. "Do you want to help me garden?"

I nodded again. "Yea, sure!"

It was growing dark. I was just staring at the sky when I heard him calling to me. Glancing back, I stood. "Hi, big brother. What's up?"

He smiled slightly. "It's getting dark. We should get inside."

"Right. Sorry." I followed him, silently, studying him. He seemed different, concerned. Like something was wrong. We passed a big building, with stairs leading to the front doors, and he stopped when he saw a crowd had gathered around the outside of the building. They were talking quietly amongst themselves, until they saw him standing a few feet away.

"Starlight," he said softly. "Go on home. I'll be there in a minute."

I nodded, started to move away, until another man came up behind me, grabbing my shoulder. "Don't you think she would be safer here, Itachi?" The voice made my shoulders tense. He sounded like he was enjoying something. "I think she should stay. After all," his voice sounded optimistic, happy, but still so . . . wrong, "she's part of the family now, too, isn't she?"

He gave me a pained look, glancing back at the man behind me, but as he opened his mouth to answer, another voice rang out. "There he is! Itachi, we need you to give us your answer. One way or another."

The crowd moved toward us, surrounding us quickly. "We need a leader. Are you going to help us or not?"

He hesitated. "I'm not the man you want for the job."

"You're the best person for the position. We need someone like you in this."

"After all, Itachi," the voice behind me spoke, "if it's not you, then who would it be?"

"I can't help you."

"If not you, I'm sure someone who has less . . . morals would love to take the offer." The hand tightened. "After all, I know there are many who would love to take the job, who won't cut corners, the way I know you will."

The look he gave me made my breath catch. He looked about ready to run, to cry, to fight. He looked like he was in pain, and angry, and afraid, all at the same time. And I had the feeling, I wasn't the only one he was afraid for.

"Do you want to let your whole family down?" the voice asked again. "Isn't there someone else you would give your life for, someone for whom you would do anything to ensure survival?"

The words sent chills down my spine, and I knew he was talking about his little brother. I started to move forward, and the hand tightened. It made me wince and cry out in pain.

"Think about it, boy. There are plenty of other young men who would love so very much to take this offer, so many people who would love to see this family gone. Don't you want to protect them from those people?" I could feel his nails digging into my shoulder.

The entire time he'd been speaking, his eyes had been on me, and he'd flinched with every sentence. I'd never seen him look like that before. It made me want to run out to him, to help him, but I didn't need the hand on my shoulder to stop me. I felt afraid. Like something was wrong. Like something was going to happen.

Like I was about to lose everything again.


	9. Hyuuga, Or Wincan?

Tears still wet and shining on my face, I followed the silver-haired man to the door. "Don't worry, kid," he said softly back at me, "you'll never be homeless in the Leaf. No matter what happens."

"What about Sasuke?"

"He's being given an apartment."

"Why am I being brought here?"

"Because you have Hyuuga blood, they offered to let you stay here."

I stared at the ground, watching my feet move. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"He'll be fine, once he wakes up. He wasn't seriously hurt."

The look in his eyes. I couldn't shake it. I could've sworn I saw tears in his eyes. "Why'd he do it?" I asked softly.

"Sometimes, there are no answers for the tough questions."

He knocked on the door. Seconds passed before a man opened it. When I looked up, my eyes widened. I took a deep breath.

Papa. H-he looks just like papa! The same eyes stared down at me, but his eyes weren't as lighthearted as Papa's. His were stoic, harsh, almost. But his face, and his hair, though longer than Papa's, it was the right color. As I stared at him, he looked down at me, and I looked away. Those eyes . . . they're not Papa's.

"That's the girl?"

"Yup. The Hokage is grateful to you for taking her in."

"If she's a Hyuuga, we don't have much choice but to take her into our home, do we?"

Hinata appeared behind him, peering out. She smiled at seeing me, but the smile dulled when she realized why I was there. She backed away as the man moved away from the door, giving us more room to come through.

I immediately linked hands with her, needing the touch of a familial, friendly hand.

She smiled at me, the smile dulling again. "I-I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I said softly. "I-I'm just glad to be here."

"We'll take her before the Elders and see what they have to say, as a final check. If you would wait here, Kakashi-San."

Kakashi nodded. "I'll be around."

"Starlight," the voice drew my attention to the man. He gestured me closer. "Come. We'll take you to the Elders. Hinata, stay with Kakashi."

Pulling my hand away, I followed the man deeper into the building, past a little boy not much older than myself, training in the yard. We passed him, and he glanced up to see me. We kept going until we were in another, small house. It was a bit darker, and we weren't alone. Several older men and women moved about.

"This is the girl? She doesn't look much like a Hyuuga."

"Nonsense. She looks like Kaguya. Doesn't she? Just a little bit."

"She's got the Hyuuga eyes, but there's no way she's full Hyuuga."

"We should place the seal on her, if we bring her in."

"We are forbidden from doing so, as even if she is a Hyuuga, she is not part of our main branch. She is part of another branch of Hyuuga, from another village. She's not our branch."

"But you're sure she has Hyuuga blood?"

"We had her tested. Her blood matches Hyuuga blood. So much so that she tested as a sibling to my very own daughter."

"That makes no sense, Hizashi. You have no other daughters besides Hana and Hinata."

"It makes sense if her father is my brother."

"Neji's father died a long time ago, Hizashi."

"I think he's speaking of the other one."

"The one whom we don't name."

"That means she's from our branch, Hizashi."

"No. We disowned him. He was cut from our branch. He is not part of our branch, and he created his own branch in another village. We've been ordered not to give her the seal, due to that branch, and due to the contract between her family and the Uchiha."

"The Uchiha are as good as extinct. What does that matter?"

"It matters because the one with whom the contract was signed is still alive. The contract is still binding. As long as that is binding, she is not our branch. She's as good as Uchiha now."

"Then why is she here?"

"Because she is still Hyuuga. She needs to learn of her people, and learn of her talent."

"How do we know she even has the Byakuugan?"

"She activated it during the massacre. It's why the Hokage brought her to us. We are to teach her what she needs to know."

"So she's here. At least for now, she's here."

"I still say she should get the seal. We don't know that she won't betray us."

"We're not her family to betray. She is not our branch; We have no authority over her."

"We were also ordered not to give her the seal. You heard the Hokage. That contract binds her to the Uchiha."

"So the Uchiha can gain our Byakuugan with their breeding! We need to come up with a way to break that contract. The Byakuugan is our Kekkei-Genkai. Giving her to them is as good as giving our power away!"

"That is not our decision."

"I suggest you find the contract, and a way to break it."

"If you find a way," I said softly, at first. Everyone turned to look at me. "I-if you find a way to break it, I will allow you to place the seal on me, without complaint. I do not want to marry him. I want nothing to do with that. I do want to know what my father is, and who he was, and that means getting to know the Clan he was born into. Doesn't it? So if you accept me, and if you find a way to break the contract, I bow to your will to do with me as you please."

Silence. Murmurs. Moments passed. "Fine. We'll scour for a loophole in the contract., you will receive the mark."

"Give her a room. Let her share one with Neji. That's good enough for the half-breed."

"We put a mark on her, that's going against the Hokage's will."

"The Hokage doesn't always know what's best for our Clan. Letting a rampant Hyuuga run around could prove disastrous."

"And marking her could cause war."

"With whom? The nonexistent Uchiha Clan? There's nobody to stop us if we marked her. The Hokage would be upset, but he would understand once he got what we were doing. Protecting our namesake."

"She's not our namesake to protect."

"If she is your brother's daughter, then she is our namesake to protect. Whether she has our last name or not, it makes no difference. None."

"We're not putting a seal on her. She's here to learn, and she will be safe."

"Fine. Take her away. Let her stay in Neji's room."

I was ushered out and I saw the same boy a few feet away. He was staring at me.

He looked away when he saw me staring back.

"Neji, take Starlight to your room. She'll be staying with you."

The boy jogged toward me, nodding. "Hi, I'm Neji." He watched the man walk away, then said, "Don't let them put the seal on you. I heard what was being said. Don't let them do it."

"B-but why?"

"It's horrible," he said softly. You don't want that."

"Hey, so, uh, you're Neji, right?"

A nod. "Yes. And I assume you're Starlight."

I nodded. "Yes. I'm Starlight."

"Don't let them put the seal on you. It turns you into their slave. Don't do it." He took my arm. "They're never going to accept you, either. They will always view you as the outsider, especially if you let them put the seal on you."

I followed behind him, wondering how I'd get myself out of this one. I wanted to know more about my father. Obviously they knew who my dad was, so how did I find out more about him? If I could find out the truth about my father, maybe I could find out who killed him.

In order to find out more about the man who murdered my family, I had to find out more about my father. If that meant being their slave. . . .

Then so be it.


	10. Forming Teams

I entered the class room, ignoring the bunch of girls in the middle of the room who were arguing over who would sit next to that pesky Uchiha boy. I went quietly to my seat in the back of the classroom and sat down, clutching my black notebook to my chest. My black notebook was filled with my memories, thoughts, drawings and even poems. I had two pens, one with black ink and one with my blood as ink.

At least I still had my two best friends, Hinata Hyuuga being one of them. I sat by her whenever I could and, right now, I was sitting by her. I smiled at her.

She smiled back.

"Hi, Hinata. How are you?"

"I-I'm fine. You?"

"Okay. Did you sleep well?" When I'd first met Hinata, she stuttered every word, but after spending so much time with me, she didn't stutter or blush as much. She still stuttered and blushed, just not nearly as much.

She nodded. "Yes." She pointed at my notebook. "H-have you drawn anything?"

I nodded quickly. "Yes. Want to see?" I handed her the notebook. She was the only one I let see it.

Someone plopped down next to me. Kiba, probably. He was my other friend.

I turned and smiled at him. "Hi."

He beamed. "Hey, Star! How are you?"

Akamaru jumped over onto my lap to snuggle, then went back to Kiba.

"I'm good. Thanks. You?"

"Pretty good." He leant around me, smiling at Hinata. "Hey, Hinata."

"H-hi," she said, looking up from my notebook with a shy smile and a blush. She looked back down at the notebook.

"So how'd ya sleep?"

"Pretty good," I replied. "You?"

"Great! Man, I woke up today so excited! Graduated and all that, you know."

I smiled. I did know. "It's great, that's for sure." I felt someone enter the room and turned to look.

Neji. His cold, silver eyes met mine and, like they usually do, his eyes reminded me greatly of my father's eyes. He nodded once at me, then continued on as though nobody else existed. He seemed to notice me, but he didn't seem to notice anyone else.

When I turned back around, I saw Naruto get knocked into the Uchiha-and I couldn't help but laugh quietly.

Uchiha's eyes met mine and they were deadly with anger. We held eyes, neither one of us daring to look away first, and nobody seemed to notice.

Nobody but Hinata and Kiba. "Boy, you two should really tone down the hatred," Kiba joked. "Any more anger in that look, we'll all be burnt up by a fireball!" His voice was soft, but joking.

Hinata's hands closed around my arm and she kind of cowered against me, in kind of a protective, but scared way.

Naruto blocked my gaze, effectively breaking up the staring contest, and I looked away. "It's okay, it's over. He just has some pride issues." I said it loud enough so he could hear me and was rewarded with a low growl.

He stood quickly and was turning toward me with a scowl when Iruka-Sensei came in, forcing him to be seated once more.

I smirked. "Saved by the sensei," I mouthed.

He glared at me, jaw hard and tight with anger, black eyes roiling, then turned away as though I didn't exist.

"Okay, so you've all graduated from the academy. Next thing to do is to be assigned teams."

I gave a hopeful smile to Hinata and Kiba, locking arms with the two of them. "Hopefully we'll get lucky."

"Since there's an usual amount of students this year, there will be one team that will hold four students and one Sensei." He looked around. "I don't know how long that will last, so good luck to the ones who get into the team of four."

I looked over at Kiba, saying softly, "You're going to get stuck with Ino."

He chuckled. "You'll get stuck with Uchiha, then."

"Don't even say that in jest!" I gasped, pretending to die. "Hinata will get stuck with Naruto," I teased softly so nobody would hear.

She blushed. "Shh!"

"And Team 7 will be . . . Uzumaki, Naruto . . . Haruna, Sakura. . . ."

At that, Naruto jumped up, screaming, "Yah!" and Sakura smacked her head off the table.

"Uchiha, Sasuke."

Now their places were reversed, Naruto smacking his head and Sakura jumping up.

"And Wincan, Starlight."

I froze, body tense and unyielding.

"Iruka-Sensie, why does a great Ninja like me have to be with a slouch like Sasuke?"

"Because Sasuke has the highest scores. You, Naruto, had the lowest."

"Just be sure not to get in my way . . . loser," Sasuke said.

The sound of his voice made my irritation rise and Hinata put an arm around my shoulders. "It'll be okay," she said softly. "It will be, really."

Kiba put his arm around my waist. "I feel bad now."

"For what?"

"Saying you were going to get stuck with Uchiha."

I leant my head against his shoulder. "It's not your fault."

"But I still feel bad."

I caught the end of Iruka-Sensei's sentence, "Inuzuka, Kiba . . . Hyuuga, Hinata and Aburame, Shino."

I glanced over at Shino. He looked unmoved. Kiba and Hinata were smiling, but still looked worried. "At least you two get to be together," I mumbled.

"Don't kill anyone, Star," Kiba said seriously.

I nodded. "I'm working on it."

The Uchiha chose that moment to turn and his eyes met mine, a challenge deep in his eyes and a smirk on his face.

I held his eyes, scowling. Iruka-Sensei dismissed us and I stood, still holding his eyes.

He stood, too, and neither one of us moved until the classroom was empty and I'd waved off Kiba and Hinata. Once it was just us, he made his way up to me, scowl replacing that smirk. "Thought that was funny, did you?"

I knew instantly what he was talking about. "Yes. It was very funny. I bet Naruto has been scared straight . . . literally. Kissing you would make anyone like the opposite sex," I said, offhandedly.

His eyes darkened. "Kissing you would make them burn their lips off."

I smirked. "Anyone who kissed me would already have had their lips burnt off. I don't like being kissed."

"Yet you think it was funny Naruto got knocked into me."

"Oh, yes, very much so. I just wish I had a camera. In fact, I may draw that and post it everywhere!" I said, smiling.

"You're a pest," he spat. "And you're going to ruin the team and slow me down."

I glared at him. "I'm not the one with the ego problem, Uchiha!"

His jaw tightened. "At least I'm able to carry through with my threats. You've never been strong enough to."

For a moment, I was unable to say anything. Anger and depression welled in me. My eyes narrowed, I started to say something, but could think of no comeback.

"What's wrong? Can't deny it?"

As fast and hard as I could, I placed both hands on his chest and shoved, then ran from the room. I could feel my eyes burning with rage and tears. I ran to my favorite spot, the place I took nobody to, the place I was always alone in. I sat down on the rock that hung slightly over the river and fought against the tears.

A sound behind me made me whirl. Neji Hyuuga walked silently to me and sat next to me. "I heard the fight," he said softly, looking into the water.

"Yea, well, he's just lucky I didn't . . . I-I didn't hurt him. . . ."

"He's wrong, you know. You're not a pest."

This made me look up at him in shock. What was Neji doing here, talking to me, when he hated everyone and saw them all inferior to him? Why stoop low to talk to me?

He didn't meet my eyes or even look at me. He just sat there for a few minutes in silence before he said, "Your past is dark, Star, and destiny has been unkind to you. I find . . . I can relate to you, even like you, without talking to you."

"But I'm friends with Hinata. You hate her."

He shrugged. "Yes, I do resent her, but you aren't her. You and I have some things in common."

"Neji. . . ."

"I read your notebook, when Hinata brought it home once. I saw what was inside." He looked at me then. "Your notebook is much like you. The outside is beautiful and doesn't seem like much, but the inside . . . the inside is dark and filled with intense feelings and more beauty." His eyes searched mine. "Do not let that Uchiha bring you down. Your family gave their lives so that you would live on. They would not have done that if they didn't know you were worthy of it." He touched my cheek gently. "And your eyes. . . . Have you ever tried to control your eyes, instead of fighting them?"

I shook my head.

"That is why it is so painful for you. You have to let it happen, let it take its course, not fight it. If you fight it, then it's going to hurt, but give in to it, then tame it. It will make you stronger." His eyes changed slightly, lighting up. "I think you're more than what you seem to be. Your father was a Hyuuga, and like him, you need to let your eyes take on their true form, just as you need to take on yours." He dropped his hand and looked back toward the water. "I can help you, if you wish, teach you the Hyuuga way. Maybe you can master it, just as I have."

"You . . . you're offering to train me?"

"No." He paused. "I'm offering to teach you to be yourself. I'm offering to teach you to control your eyes to the best of your abilities."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "You and I have a lot in common. Both of us, ostracized, disliked, because we weren't of the firstborn. You escaped my fate by having your father be a leader of another village, but they would quickly give you my fate if the Hokage allowed it. One day, I want to fight you. For now, I am happy to call you family, friend, even, if you wish it."

I nodded. "Y-yes! I mean, I don't see why you'd want to be friends with someone like me, b-but thank you, I am honored."

He smiled slightly and turned his face to me. "Ignore Sasuke. He's just a pampered little boy mourning the loss of his childhood." And he was gone.

I stood, brushed myself off and stared after him, then turned and left to find Hinata and Kiba and Akamaru. Once I did, I ran up to them, tackling Kiba instantly.

He let out a yip and we fell to the ground, wrestling. We turned on Hinata as one and advanced. She ran and we chased her, Akamaru joining in. We ended up under a big oak tree and laughing. "Boy, that was something I needed," I said. "You guys are the best."

Kiba grinned. "Of course we are! Though Hinata needs to stop being so shy."

"And you need to stop being such a tease," she said softly, smiling.

"And I need to stop trying to kill everyone," I chimed in.

"Not everyone, just Uchiha."

That reminded me. "Hey, Hinata, where's my notebook?"

She paled. "I-I left it in the classroom with you."

I froze. "I thought you had it." In an instant, I was up and running to the classroom, the three of them at my heels. I burst into the room, ran up to my spot, but my notebook was gone. "Shit," I said softly. "Where did it go?"

Kiba took a deep breath. "You and Uchiha were both here, so I smell both of you and your notebook. I don't know if he took your notebook. I can't tell."

"If that boy took my notebook, I'll make mincemeat out of him," I growled. I could feel my bloodlust rising inside me. As much as I hated him, that boy had a very ambrosial blood scent. I could easily imagine myself tearing his throat out. An evil smile curled my lips upward at the thought.

Kiba laughed. "All right, we're going blood hunting!"

Hinata grabbed his arm. "I think she should do this herself," she said softly, studying me.

I nodded, trying to curb the evil smile, turned and walked off, following the scent of Uchiha. I found him shortly later, leaning against a tree, my notebook open in his hands, eyes on me. The usual anger or scowl or hatred in his eyes was gone, replaced by mild curiosity and something deeper, something with a taste of sadness to it. "Uchiha," I spat. "My notebook."

He glanced down at it, shrugged, closed it and put it between his back and the tree, leaning on it. "I'm not done reading it."

"Give it back." I stalked closer to him.

"When I'm finished."

"No, you'll give it back now." I walked until I was toe-to-toe with him. "Well?"

"Fight me for it," he said. The usual sneer in his voice was gone. He said it like he really meant it.

I looked up the two inches at him. "What?"

"Fight me for it or wait until I'm finished with it. Those are your only two choices." I reached around him for my notebook and he grabbed my arm. "Now, now, don't be in such a rush."

"Give me my notebook, Uchiha."

He leant in just slightly. "Fight me for it."

The way he said that made my legs shake slightly, made me back away.

"Afraid?" he asked, voice low, smooth, stepping away from the tree. "Fight me, if you can. . . ."

I launched at him, then, yanking out a kunai from one of my wrist sheaths, aiming to cut across his cheek.

He was just suddenly gone. A moment passed and he was at my back, a kunai at my throat. "What's wrong, Star?" he purred. "Too fast for you?"

I elbowed back-but met empty air. The next second, I was pinned against the tree, his hand at my throat, his eyes locked on mine. I gasped. He was fast, I'd give him that. "This isn't fair," I said.

"Why not?"

"I-I can't fight like this." I hadn't had blood in two days. My lips were pale pink and my powers were greatly lowered than what they should be.

He smirked. "Oh, I know all about your bloodlust. I've read enough of the notebook to know that. I also know how special your blood is and what you can do." The smirk faded. "Although, I didn't need it to know your past and what you want to do."

I growled at him. "You know nothing."

"I've known you since we were kids, I know just about everything about you." He studied me for a second, the released me and walked off just a bit, turning to the side. "I know about what happened to your family, that you watched your mother die and still remember it. I know that you are a Hyuuga, whether you want to admit it or not, just like your father. I know the emphasis he put on your eyes. I know everything that was written in this book about your present." He looked at me, body still turned to the side. "And I know that you want revenge on the people who killed your family."

"Give me my notebook, Uchiha."

He shook his head. "I'm not done with it."

"It's not yours."

He shrugged. "What is the point of trying to get it back now that I've read it?"

"Because it's mine."

He gave me a look. "Fight me, win and I'll give you the notebook. Lose and I'm not giving it back until I'm finished with it."

"I can't fight like this!" I said.

"Then you'll lose automatically."

I glared at him.

"Fight me, Star. Fight or give up the notebook."

"If you've read that much of the notebook, then you know that I'm in a weakened state and can't fight right now. Tonight is the night I go off and hunt. I can't fight until tomorrow."

"Well, then . . . I guess you give the notebook up. Don't worry, you'll get it back." He was just suddenly gone-then behind me, a kunai poised at my throat. "When I'm done with it." Then he vanished.

I growled. "Get back here with that!"

"Having problems?" a voice asked.

I turned, letting out a sigh. "Neji!"

"Want me to get it back for you?"

As much as I respected Neji and knew he was strong, I didn't want to pair him off with Uchiha. "No, I'll get it. Thanks."

"I forgot to tell you, I want to start the training soon."

I shrugged. "Any time."

"Tomorrow, after your first day with your Sensei. You know where I live."

I nodded. "Neji?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks." A small smile came from me. "For what you said earlier."

He smiled back slightly. "You're welcome."

"Why did you . . . say it?"

"Because it would be a shame to see someone strong as you break." He came closer, slowly, until he was two feet from me. "Are you okay now?"

I nodded. "Yes, thank you for asking. Thank you more for caring. But why do you care?"

He shrugged. "I don't know why. I just do. I've watched you and Hinata become closer and closer for years now. I watched you grow up and you would always smile at me or nod at me. You didn't act like I didn't exist." Another shrug. "I don't know, it just made me not hate you."

I smiled. "You pretend to be all tough and hard, but you're really not."

"I am, just not to people that don't deserve it."

"And I don't?"

He shook his head. "No, you don't." He walked toward me until he was less than a foot away and reached out one hand. "You are possibly the only person I can say this to, but I don't want to be cold to you." His hand dropped away and he turned and started to leave. "Tomorrow, after you meet with your Sensei," was his parting remark.


	11. Meet and Greet With Sensei

I sat in the very back of the classroom, watching Naruto set an eraser atop the door, giggling as he did so, and sighed angrily. This was ridiculous. That stupid Uchiha still had my damn notebook. I glared at the back of his head, ignoring everything around me. A sound at the door caught my attention and a white-haired man with only one eye uncovered stuck his head in. The eraser fell on his head. I sat perfectly still as Naruto doubled over in laughter and felt the urge to punch him.

"Well . . . my first impression of this group . . . you're a bunch of idiots," he said, disinterested.

I turned my scowl to Naruto, the source of my new annoyance. It wasn't long before the five of us were sitting outside, with Kakashi-Sensei standing before us. I sat in the very back, Uchiha slightly in front of me, Sakura about two feet from him and Naruto in the very front. Sakura kept glancing at Uchiha and giggling. Naruto was just beaming happily. I was glaring at everyone and everything around me.

"So . . . let's get to know each other, shall we? I want you to tell me your name, your hobbies, your dreams, what you like and what you hate."

"Um, Kakashi-Sensei, why don't you start? To show us what we're supposed to do?" Sakura asked.

"All right. My name is Hetake, Kakashi. I like a lot of things, I hate a lot of things. My hobbies . . . hm, I don't feel like telling you that. My dream, I don't feel like telling you that, either."

The only one that seem unperturbed by his less-than-informing introduction was Naruto, who rambled on quickly. "I am Uzumaki, Naruto! I like ramen, especially miso ramen! I hate the three minutes it takes to make ramen. My hobby is trying other kinds of ramen!" He paused, grinned. "My dream . . . is to become Hokage! Then everyone will respect me!"

Kakashi seemed slightly interested in that.

Sakura next. "I am Haruna, Sakura. What I like . . ." she giggled, "I mean, who I like-" she glanced at the Uchiha, giggling and blushing. "My hobbies-" another giggle. "My dream is to be-" glance at Uchiha, giggle.

"What do you hate?"

"Naruto!"

Naruto's face fell at that.

Uchiha was silent for a moment and when he did speak, his voice was cool and emotionless. "I am Uchiha, Sasuke. I don't particularly like anything and I hate a lot of things. My hobby is training. I don't have a dream because I will make it a reality. My goal is to get stronger, restore my clan," now his voice turned dark, "and kill a certain someone."

Naruto's eyes widened and he looked frightened.

Kakashi looked toward me. I sighed. "Starlight. I hate most people. I like animals. My hobby is spending time with my two best friends and training with them. I just want to find out who was behind the annihilation of my family, besides my sister, that is."

Kakashi-Sensei nodded. "Now that we have a basic idea of who we all are, our first mission will be assigned. Tomorrow, five in the morning. Don't be late. Also . . . don't eat breakfast. If you eat breakfast, it won't sit well."

"Awesome! Our first real mission! What is it, Kakashi-Sensei?!" Naruto exploded.

"You'll be fighting me."

He looked confused.

"I'll explain it all tomorrow. For now, go train or relax or get to know one another. I don't care." He was gone.

I stood, turned and started walking. I had a destination.

"Where are you going?" a very familiar, rough voice asked from behind me. Uchiha.

I didn't bother turning. "I've got a training session scheduled."

"Oh, have you, now? With whom?" he asked, voice closer. I didn't hear him move closer.

"Why do you seem to think this is even remotely your business?"

"You're on my team. I believe I deserve to know which rival team you are planning to train with."

He sort of had a point there, but I refused to let him think that. "That means nothing to me. My friends are still my friends, whether they're on rival teams or not." There, that was not a lie, but it also didn't tell him with whom I had a training session.

"So do you plan to train with one of your 'friends'?" His voice dripped with disdain at the word "friends."

"Yes."

He was now walking beside me. "I'll walk you there, since I've nothing better to do. . . ."

"Gee, that makes me feel special," I said caustically. "Really, Uchiha, I'd think you'd have something better to do than to annoy the one girl you hate most. . . ."

He was silent for a minute. "I don't hate you . . . at least, not more than I hate Sakura . . . or Ino." A pause. "I don't hate you at all, really. . . ."

I felt the urge to stare at him. I fought that urge.

"I've decided . . . I don't care who you train with." And he was gone.

I stared into the direction he had disappeared to, but otherwise continued walking. If he'd changed his mind about walking with me, it was none of my business why. I found Neji meditating behind the Hyuuga manor and I almost didn't want to interrupt.

He opened one eye. "Star, you've come." He stood quickly, fluidly. "Have you come ready to train?"

I nodded. "Don't take it easy on me, Neji. Not even a little bit. I have some restoring blood with me, so if I get too out of it, I'll take a sip and continue training. I want to get as much training done today as I can. I want this mastered. I will train until I drop, if need be."

A small shine came into his eyes. I realized, with shock, it was pride. He was proud of me. "I understand perfectly."

I smiled. "Thanks."

He sat down. "Sit. Clear your mind, close your eyes. Listen to my voice only."

I sat, cleared my mind-which was easy, since I always meditated-and I obeyed.

"Now somewhere inside you, there is the part of your power that controls your eyes. You need to let that part out. Find it, let that part free. Stop forcing your eyes to shut down. Let that part of you that you keep locked up out."

I tried, I looked for that part of me, but it was hard. "It always activates when I'm in danger. That's when it activates most."

I heard him stand, but kept my eyes shut. "I see. Star, stand up, face me. We'll fight, but you'll be incapacitated." I felt him channel his chakra into his eyes and he said, "Byakugan," softly.

I stood and, eyes opening, saw that he was ready to fight. "What am I supposed to do?"

"You aren't going to do anything. . . . Hinata is. . . ." As he said this, Hinata walked past me. Her eyes were downcast and she was blushing ever so slightly.

"What's going on?" I asked, relaxing my pose.

"Hinata and I are going to fight. If you want to stop me from seriously wounding her," he lowered into an offensive crouch, "you'll have to activate your eyes." He turned to Hinata. "Remember the drill."

She nodded.

"Wait-I don't-"

He attacked, hitting Hinata with 64 palms attack. She gasped, let out little pained cries, but didn't try to defend herself. Afterward, he kept attacking while she didn't defend until she could barely stand on her feet.

It was shortly after then that I realized she wouldn't fight back and he wasn't going to stop until I made him. I focused my energy, tried as hard as I could, failed, tried three more times, but didn't actually activate my eyes until Hinata fell. Then I let out a growl and my eyes just changed. I could see everything then. I could tell where would be the best place to attack Neji or Hinata. Everything seemed to have a glow to it now: everything was so bright. It hurt and I gasped, covering my eyes with my hand. When the pain faded, I looked back up, studying the scene before me. My eyes were activated and it was brighter and clearer than I was used to, but I could stand it.

Neji stopped, looked up with a small, small smile. "I thought so. . . ." There was another kind of gleam in his eyes, one that said he knew this would work.

"Now what?" I asked, feeling slightly proud of myself.

"Now . . . we train until you drop."

Hinata, as though nothing had happened, stood. I saw it then. She had been acting the whole time. It made me smile. She was good.

It was really late by the time I'd run out of blood and energy. Finally, knowing that it was time to throw in the towel, I stopped training and started home, hugging Hinata and smiling at Neji before I left. It wasn't long before I felt like I was being followed. I turned, to find some unknown guy drop down from one of the nearby trees. I crouched, in attack mode. "Who are you?"

He stepped closer, smothered in a black robe. One hand reached out toward me, yet he was so far away. He was short, only about an inch taller than my present height and I wondered if he was finished growing. I was only 4'09". I assumed he was older than I was. His hand was still outstretched, reaching for me, as he stepped even closer. His head raised up and the hood fell away-revealing a face. It wasn't a man, or even an adult at all. It was a girl. It was a girl my age, who looked almost exactly like me. She had light blond hair and light blue eyes, was pale and beautiful, graceful, as she moved closer to me. Her pale, pink lips opened and one word came from a musical, beautiful voice. "Help."

I sat straight up, breathing hard, looking around. I was in a place I didn't recognize, in the middle of the woods. Wait . . . No, I did recognize this place. I'd gotten this far before I'd passed out last night. I hadn't even made it home. What had awakened me?

"Good, you're up," someone said. Someone familiar. "You have just enough time to go home, clean up and meet us where Kakashi said to meet us."

I stood, looking up at Sasuke. "What are you doing here?"

"I was on my way to the meet-up spot and I came across you." He smirked. "Seems like you trained hard last night. Did Neji finally find a way to pass you up in power?"

My only excuse for snapping at him the way I did was that I'd dreamt of who I thought was one of my sisters. I said, "That's none of your business, Uchiha! And even if he did, like I'd tell you anyway!" I heard the words come from my mouth and I immediately wanted to take them back. I opened my mouth to say that and he interrupted.

His eyes were narrowed when he asked, "Are you okay?"

I froze. "W-what?"

"Are you okay?" he asked, enunciating each word slowly.

"Y-you've never asked me if I was okay before. Why are you asking now?"

He shrugged. "You never snap at me so easily, or quickly, and a second after you snapped like that, a look passed over your face like you were about to apologize." His eyes studied mine. "Did something happen?"

I shook my head, looking down. "N-no . . . I just . . . I had a . . . bad dream. . . ."

He put his hand on my shoulder, other hand moving to cup my chin in his palm to make me look at him. "What about?" he asked softly.

I tried to look away and his hand tightened. "About my sister. . . ."

"Which one?" He never missed a stride. It made me remember he still had possession of my notebook.

I shrugged. "I don't remember her name, but I recognized her face because . . . she looked so much like me, but she was so . . . I don't know, beautiful and graceful and elegant." I paused, unable to go on for a minute. "Then she reached for me and said, 'Help.' That was all she said. 'Help.' I think she's in trouble. I have to get to her. I have to find her."

"And what are you going to do if you find her?"

"Help her, of course."

"No, I mean, Star, you're not strong enough to pair off against any real enemy. Your only hope of helping your sister is by getting stronger. That means, staying here and training and getting stronger. I know you want to help your sister, but the only way to do that is to get stronger. You can't help her if you're not strong enough to." His eyes hardened. "That's the only way to help her. Get stronger, you'll help your sister."

"But what if I'm too late? I can't just-"

"What do you plan to do at your low power level?" he asked harshly. "Get captured along with her?"

"Yes, if that means I can be there for her."

"Then someone would have to rescue you!"

That stopped me. He was right, of course. He was right. I sighed. "I'm sorry."

"For?"

"I'm sorry for arguing with you. You're right. I know that. I just. . . . It's hard to sit back and do nothing while I know my sister is in danger."

He seemed thoughtful for a minute. "I'll walk you to your house," he said quietly.

I started walking home, him beside me. He was silent the whole way there, waiting silently for me to shower, change and get ready. When I came out of the bathroom, he was leaning against my living room wall, still thinking.

On our way there, at least ten minutes later, he finally spoke. "If you're that worried about her," he said, voice calm, "tell Kakashi. He might be able to help."

I almost stiffened with shock. He was right. Again. I stared at him. "Kakashi-Sensei?" I shook my head a moment later. "I-I can't. . . ."

"Why not?" he asked.

I blushed. "What would I say? 'Sensei, I had a dream about a girl that looked like she could be one of my twins and now I think she's alive and in trouble and I want to help her, but I don't know what to do or where she is or even what her name is'?"

"Yes. Tell him that."

I scowled. "That's ridiculous!"

"Exactly. At the least, it'll get his attention and you'll be able to explain a little about it, now won't you?"

That stopped me. He had a point. Dammit. "Maybe."

"Try it. What have you got to lose?"

Nothing. "Okay. I'll try it, but I'm splitting up from you. I don't want to arrive with you at the same time. I don't want anyone thinking I like you."

He smirked. "Same here," he said, and we both went different directions.

I glared at the bell that still hung around Kakashi-Sensei's waist, calculating how fast I would have to be to get to it. I darted in, but he saw it coming. He parried, dodged my advance, and I spun. A blue blur rushed in front of me as I jumped up onto the branch of a tree, moving to another tree. I glared as Sasuke darted in and yanked the belt free as Kakashi-Sensei was still reacting to my head-on attack. He was gone before he was even noticed. Something dropped down in front of me and I looked up into black, black eyes. "What, Uchiha?"

He grabbed my open hand, dropped something warm and metal into it, dropped down from the tree and was gone before I'd even realized he'd given me the bell he'd just gotten. I stared at him, shocked, as he closed in on the bell that Kakashi had set a trap next to. He let Naruto get caught in the trap and right as Naruto sprung the trap, his hand quickly closed around the bell and he flashed away, landing behind Sensei with the bell dangling cockily from his hand.

Kakashi-Sensei's eyes widened and he reached for the bell that no longer hung at his waist, eyes widening slightly more. "Well, well . . . seems I've underestimated you four. Who has the other bell?"

I jumped down, holding the bell in sight.

"But I thought . . . Oh, never mind. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I'm beginning to like this group. You can all stay, but there will still be major punishment for the two who didn't get bells." His eye landed on Naruto and Sakura. Naruto, still hanging from the tree, gulped loudly.

I smiled, glancing at Sasuke. Why had he handed his bell over to me? Why had he taken the chance that he would be left behind? Why had he done that?

Kakashi smiled-I think. It was hard to tell with his face covered mostly. "Okay, I'm going to tie Sakura and Naruto to those posts over there. Then we'll eat! How does that sound?"

Sasuke smirked. "Hm."

"What? HEY!" Naruto yelled angrily.

"But, Sensei, that's not fair!"

"You two didn't get a bell. Therefore, you are to be punished . . . you'll have to pay the price."


	12. Who is Starlight Wincan?

I woke up, eyes crusted in sleeping sand. Reaching up to rub my eyes clean, I groaned.

"Shira! Wake up. It's time for school!"

I curled onto my side, into a small ball, cuddling the blankets around me.

"Shira! C'mon, get up!"

"I'm up!" I yelled from under the blankets. Another dream of that stupid animated series again. Why do I keep dreaming of that, every night? Of that Starlight Wincan girl? It's getting annoying.

"Shira!"

"I said I'm up!" Finally, I threw the blankets off, standing. "Jeeze, how many times do I have to tell you I'm up?" I grumbled when I heard her calling again. The dream clinging to me, I grabbed my clothes, running to the bathroom to get dressed. Such a tiny apartment, with too many people in it.

Pulling my hair into a quick ponytail, I stared at myself in the mirror. Not the white-haired girl I'd just dreamt of, with the fangs and the blood-red lips. Pale golden hair pulled into a ponytail, blue eyes, pale skin. Definitely not the girl I kept dreaming of.

"Shira," I heard whining from the other side of the door, seconds before the pounding started. "Get out, I have to pee."

"You have all morning to pee. I have five minutes to get dressed for school."

"I have to pee!" my sister whined.

"Yea, well, I have to get ready for school, so chill!" Seconds later, though, I was pulling the door open to get out, and she shoved past me, into the bathroom. "Jeeze," I sighed. "I hate sisters."

"Shira, you have to pick my cigs up when you get off school," I heard my mom calling up.

I groaned, grabbing the keys from the hook. "Yes, ma'am." I shut the door tightly behind me, got in my car, and sat there for a minute, staying still to clear my head. Every night, for my entire life, I've dreamt of that stupid anime show. For the past 21 years, all I'd ever dreamt of was that show. It got to the point I'd started writing it out, and it was all creepily related.

It was always about the same girl. Starlight Wincan. It was such an odd dream.

I pulled out of the driveway, drove the next three miles to my best friend's house, and watched her jump in. I always was shocked by how much she and her brother, my two best friends in the world, looked like Hinata and Kiba.

Tsukiko smiled shyly at me, pushing her long, black hair out of her face and staring at me with sky blue eyes. "Why are you staring at me? Did you have those weird dreams again?"

I nodded. "Sorry, it just strikes me every day how much you look like her."

"What 'bout me?" Kira asked, jumping in the back. "Do I still look like Kiba?"

"Your name even sounds like Kiba." I sighed, pulled off. "This dream has got to stop. It's pissing me off."

"You've dreamt it every night ever since I've known you."

"Oh well. What class we got today?"

"Psychology. I have to drop you guys off, then pick up my cousin."

"Sucks to be you, man. That guy weighs this car down every time he gets in."

I shrugged. "Well, I have to, or he doesn't get to school."

"We can come with," Tsuki offered.

I shook my head. "No, y'all will be late. I won't be. My class starts later than yours, so get out quick when we get there, or I will be late."

"You gonna kick us out?"

"Hell yea!"

The school building was coming up fast. I pulled up along the curb. "Get the hell out."

"You better hurry. Don't wanna be late to pick up that freak."

I shrugged. "Oh, I'll be fine. Just get out."

They jumped out of the car, Kira winking at me as he did. "Go get the freak. We'll be waiting."

Turning the music up, I pulled away from the curb. My cousin only lived a couple blocks from the school. Why the idiot never wanted to walk it always confused me.

Of course, it might have had something to do with the fact that he weighed, like, five hundred pounds.

The three block walk to the school would've done him some good. Might lose some weight.

Yet I said nothing as I pulled up along the curb, and he pulled the door open. He was wearing a red shirt, as usual, paired with khaki pants, and the stench of his body made me feel like gagging. "Hey, Shira, what's up?"

"Not much." I pulled away from the curb, started to drive.

"So I wanted to talk to you about something. It's really important, and I need you to keep an open mind."

I glanced at him. "Yea, sure, what's up?" Despite his foul stench and appearance, he and I were rather close. I thought of him as a decent friend.

"You have to promise me not to tell anyone."

"No prob."

He fidgeted in his seat. "I love you."

I glanced at him, smiling, but suddenly nervous. "I love you, too, cuz."

"No, I mean, I love you. I want to be your boyfriend. I want to be with you."

I had to physically restrain myself from stomping down on the brakes. "W-what?"

"I've loved you since the moment I saw you. I mean, really. I love you."

"Oh, look, there's the school. How quickly this ride flies by." I sped into the parking lot as fast as I could, saying nothing else.

"Shira, say something."

"I don't know what you want me to say."

"Say you feel the same. Say you'll willing to try."

"I-I don't know if. . . ." I glanced at him. "I'll think about it, okay?" I was squirming, and my gut kept telling me to lie, to put him off. The pungent odor that came from him made my churning stomach so much harder to ignore. I pulled into a parking spot, sitting at the wheel, waiting for him to get out.

He got out slowly, but unfortunately came across the car to my side. He opened my door, reached in, and, before I knew what he was doing, he pulled me out and kissed me.

I was too stunned to do anything. My stomach churned violently, and he pulled away, smiled, and left. I stumbled over to the side of the parking lot and vomited, clutching my stomach. "Oh, Gods, what did I get myself into?" I straightened, got back into my car, and sped off. Okay, that's gross. That's so gross. That's so gross. Oh. My. Gods. I have to get away. That's just so fucking gross.

There was no way I was going home. No way I was going to go somewhere surrounded by people. I drove an hour out into the deepest part of the woods, got out of my car and ran into the woods, going to my special spot. A little creak, running water, beautiful place. I sat by the creak and just stopped thinking.

It wasn't working. The thought, "That's so disgusting" kept running through my head. Finally, I stood, and screamed. "No! Absolutely no! This is ridiculous! Why can't I have a normal life? A semi-normal life?! No! I have to be raped by every male member of my family, and now, now my cousin–the only person in my family I thought was normal–decides to have a fucking crush on me! This is fucking ridiculous!"

I was so tired of this. This life, ugh. So tired of it all. This entire family was so fucked up, it wasn't even funny. Half of this family was rapists, and the other half drug addicts. And unfortunately, I'd run into both plenty enough to make me hate them all.

I mentally went over everything I'd done since I'd met him two years ago, but I couldn't find anything I'd done wrong. Nothing I could link to this. This is just, ugh.

So tired of this. I stayed there for hours, walking, hiking, swimming, going over every detail of my life, until my hone rang. I rant to answer it. "Yo?"

"Shira, where the hell are you?" Kira's voice shrieked. "Hey, what's going on? Where are you?"

"I skipped for the day."

"I noticed! Where the hell are you?"

"Do you need picked up?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, give me, like, an hour. Can you wait that long?"

He sighed. "Yea, we've got some things to do, why not?"

My phone beeped. I checked it to see my cousin was calling. "Actually. . . can you meet me down the block, next to that restaurant? I can't . . . I can't go to that school right now."

"Why? What's going on?"

"Just, please, trust me. Meet me at that restaurant, and tell nobody. I mean, nobody. I'll be there in an hour." I hung up, and walked back to my car. In absolutely no hurry, it took me probably half an hour to get back, and when I got in my car, my phone had rang six more times. Each time, same person. I ended up turning it off before I started my car.

The drive was silent, and I pushed speed limits as best I could to be at the restaurant in little under an hour. I parked and jogged into the restaurant, seeing them in the corner. "Hey," I raised my arm, waving. "Over here."

They stood, gathered their stuff, and ran to me. "What's going on? Why didn't you want to pick us up at school?"

"Just get in the car. I'll explain everything there." Everyone piled in quickly, and I took a deep breath. "My cousin just told me he's in love with me."

Sounds of revulsion. Tsukiko made a vomiting sound, and Kira gagged. "That's disgusting."

"What's worse? He kissed me. He fucking kissed me."

Now both were making vomiting sounds. "That's–I can't even find the word to describe how disgusting that is."

"Yup. I know how you feel on that. I threw up. Literally threw up."

"I would, too. Just thinking about it!"

"That's seriously just so wrong."

I nodded. "Tell me about it." I started off back home, driving slowly. "I just hope I never see him again."

"How ya gonna swing that one? You're family, and he lives just a few blocks away from you, and you go to school with him."

"I'll figure it out."


	13. Don't Wait

Ugh. Why does my head hurt? My eyes opened, but all I saw was absolute darkness. My head hurts. Why was it dark? It took me a few minutes to realize there was something on my face. A blindfold. My hands were tied above my head. There was something shoved into my mouth.

I mumbled something through what felt like a rag, pushing at it with my tongue, but it was tied around my head. Pulling at my arms, I found they were tied tightly behind my back. My head hurt. I couldn't remember what had happened. How had I gotten . . . wherever I was?

Where the hell am I?

Stretching my legs out, my feet hit something, and I couldn't pull them apart. Tied. My legs were tied together. I kicked out, hard, but whatever I hit was hard. The shockwave ran through my legs. I mumbled something through the gag. Whatever I was lying on was vibrating. It was the vibration that made me realize there was a roaring sound coming from the object.

A car. I'm in the trunk of a car. How did I get here?

We were obviously moving, but where were we going? And how did I get in this trunk? Why couldn't I remember anything? The last thing I could remember was meeting Kira and Tsukiko for the family dinner. I'd brought them in because I was afraid to be there without them, with my cousin there.

Right. That smell, that's what I was smelling. All over myself, all over the trunk I was in. That stomach-churning body odor, mixed with his own personal disgusting musk. Right. I could identify it now.

But I couldn't remember how I got in here. My head hurt so bad.

The ride was bumpy, and I was tied so tightly that being jostled every which way hurt so much. My bones and joints protested against all of it. Everything hurt, so when the car finally pulled to a stop, I let out a breath. Thank Gods. Now, let me out of here.

The engine stopped, and I heard not one, but two car doors, within seconds of each other. What I thought was dull whimpering. Minutes passed, and the whimpering grew distant, until I could no longer hear it.

The trunk popped open, and I was lifted roughly from inside, then thrown onto the ground. Nothing else holding me, I stumbled to my feet, and started to run–and smacked almost immediately into a tree full-force. I ended up back on my back, trying to breathe, but blood had already started seeping from my nose. With my mouth covered, I couldn't cough. I could just let the blood flow back my throat and try not to gag on it.

I was lifted, swung over someone's shoulder, and carried. It became harder to breathe, but I swore to myself I was not about to die choking on my own blood. Pushing with my tongue with everything I had, wiggling my mouth, I managed to just barely push the gag out of my mouth. Wiggling more, and more, and finally, it fell over my chin. I spat blood out of my mouth, and though it only hit the bag, I was just pleased to be able to breathe again.

And I clenched my eyes closed, taking deep, ragged breaths, trying to figure out just what I was doing, and where I was about to go.

Throat raw, body sore and aching, I sent a frantic glance over to my little niece. She was tied around her neck, with the rope tied on a high branch that I'd watched my cousin use a ladder to get to. He'd obviously been very prepared for this. She was gasping, barely able to breathe, and I found myself, not for the first time, wishing he'd just let her go.

"What are you going to do to her?"

He glanced at her, pulling his red shirt over his enormous body. "I don't see how that's any of your concern."

"She can't breathe. You can't let her stay like that. You have to loosen that tie."

He shrugged. "She's lasted this long, she can keep lasting."

She's only eleven! I wanted to scream. She's just a fucking kid! Why is she here!? She's had to witness too many things today, are you really going to let her die? In the past few hours of torturous life, I'd found out that he'd gone postal. He'd slaughtered the family at the meetings, including my friends, knocked me out, and taken me and Diana to this location. Diana was his leverage to be sure I'd stay complying, without fighting. He knew I'd do anything to keep her alive.

"If you let her go," I winced at my rough, raw throat, "we can leave, and nobody can find us. Just-just let her loose. She'll probably get lost in the woods, and never be found anyway, right?"

He shrugged. "I'm not that stupid, Shira. I know you want her alive, so you're trying to bargain with me." He turned away, walking toward the small cooler he'd brought, pulling some food and drinks out to eat.

I watched him eat, hoping he'd choke on something. Hoping to watch him die. I had already worked the ties on my wrists halfway off, and I knew if he'd just become entangled in something else again, I could get my wrists free. Whether I could get the rope around my neck off in time to run, that was something I wasn't sure about.

With a glance toward my niece, I shook my head. The rope was long enough for me to get up to that branch and untie her. If I could get up there, she could go free.

He knelt by me while I was staring at her gasping, white face, her little body up on her tiptoes. His hand touched my upper, nude, blood-covered thigh, sliding higher. "Soon, we will have to leave. I'm sure you're getting hungry, and I haven't brought enough food for everyone, so just relax and enjoy your time here."

I fought not to tense when he touched me. When I tensed, he grabbed onto the rope and pulled until I was nearly unconscious. I wanted my wits about me. I needed to be ready. Working at the tie behind my wrists, I flexed my legs, testing, making sure they weren't asleep.

And the tie was freed. I flexed my wrists, keeping them behind my back. There was a giant stick I'd been lying on for hours. I wasn't sure if he'd put me atop it on purpose to further my discomfiture, or if it was an accident. Whatever it was, it was going to be to my use.

Clenching my hand around it, I didn't give myself a second thought. "Keep running, Dy. Keep running."

She gave me a wide-eyed glance, obviously not understanding what I was saying.

And with every ounce of strength I had, I kicked out, hitting him in the balls, as hard as I could. As a soccer player, that was hard. In the next second, while he groaned, I swung the giant branch, breaking it over his head. He fell, silent, motionless, and I ran, climbing the tree to get to the limb she was tied to. I was working at the tie quickly when he started to twitch.

Moaning, grabbing his head, and his balls, he started inching toward the rope that connected my neck to that tree.

I worked faster. "Dy, you run, okay? You just keep running. Don't stop, don't ever stop!"

She looked up at me, dancing on her toes, ready to go. The moment the rope was freed, she slipped the noose over her neck and ran, grabbing something off the cooler as she did. It took me a moment to realize they were keys. She jumped in the car, yelling at me.

"Don't wait for me, just go! Go now! Get help!"

She started the car, and I watched her speed through the woods, weaving but missing everything in her path.

And as I watched her, I also watched him. I watched him grab the rope attached to my neck. I watched him yank on it with all his weight.

And the last thing I felt was the tightening sensation, the crack of my neck, and I knew it was over.

Before I lost myself entirely, I saw him, standing in the darkness, looming over me, huge, red, and dark.

That was the last thing I'd ever see.


	14. Who am I?

"Starlight? Star!"

My eyes opened. A flash of lightning, and the red shirt, heavy body–I screamed, backing away. There was a gust of wind, a grunt, rustling clothes, and a thunk.

"Dammit, Starlight!" Something dragged across the ground, and I didn't recognize the voice.

Or the area. The woods weren't the same woods I'd seen just moments ago. The same woods I thought I'd died in. Apparently, I was–wait, did he just call me Starlight?

The boy I turned to stare at wasn't the giant, round, red-shirted man I'd expected to see. He was lean, athletic. He had dark black, unruly hair, upturned, long-lashed black eyes, and a full-lipped mouth. His cheekbones were high, still boyishly round, which told me he wasn't that old. Jaw angular, but still round, he couldn't have been any older than fifteen.

He wore a dark blue shirt and white shorts, blue shoes that looked like a cross between sandals and boots. He had arm warmers on both arms. He was standing, brushing dirt off his clothes. "What the hell was that for?"

"Stay away from me," I said between gritted teeth. Pushing myself up, I looked around for the nearest weapon and found a long, thin stick.

He crossed his arms. "And what's that supposed to do?"

"Just stay away from me." I held the stick at the ready, preparing to strike if he came any closer.

"Starlight, I don't think that stick is going to really hurt me." He started walking toward me.

I waved the stick, and swung when he got too close.

He knocked it away easily, despite me having swung it with everything I had. "Getting weaker, Starlight. Of course," the look in his eyes changed, "that happens when you disappear for two weeks and come back looking emaciated."

Backing away, I felt my heart pound. "S-stay away from me."

"Star-"

"Stop calling me that! It's not my name!"

His eyes narrowed. "For the past twelve years, it's been your name. What the hell's wrong with you?"

"Twelve years? What?"

He rolled his eyes, stepped closer to me. "Star, you've been gone for two weeks. You need to go see the medics, because you look like you've been lost in the woods."

I shook my head. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

He reached for me, and I tried to back away, but he was too fast. He'd grabbed my arm before I could even twitch. "If you're too stubborn to go to the medics on your own, I guess I'll just have to force you to it."

I tried to yank my arm away, but he tightened his grip. "I'm not going anywhere with you." Though I'm ashamed to admit my voice trembled a bit, I did force myself to meet his eyes.

His eyes narrowed. "You're going to see the medics, one way or another."

And it started to hit me then. Why he looked familiar. "Turn around."

One brow rose. "Why?"

"Because I need to see the back of your shirt."

He sighed, rolling his eyes, and turned around. On the back of his blue shirt was a symbol that made my breath catch. He turned back. "Satisfied?"

"Oh, I see." I sighed. "I'm either dead, or knocked out, and this is hell, or a dream."

He rolled his eyes again. "Yes, because I'm a nightmare. Funny. Can we go now?"

"No, because you don't exist."

Now his eyes widened. "What? What the hell is going on in your head?"

"You said, earlier you said, twelve years. Twelve years makes no sense. I'm not twelve years old. I'm twenty-three."

"In your dreams, maybe." He rolled his eyes again. "Sorry, but I've known you practically since you were born, so I can assure you, you're only twelve."

"Yea, I don't know what you've been smoking, but it sounds like good stuff."

He shook his head. "I'm definitely not high, but I'm starting to wonder if you are."

I backed away as he came closer. "L-look, I don't know you, but stay over there, or . . . I'll hurt you." I assumed a makeshift fighting position, attempting to intimidate him.

Unfortunately, all he did was laugh. "That's cute. I almost believe that you don't remember how to fight."

"Just stay away from me." I backed away further.

He blurred, and I had no idea where he went, until I heard, "You're being ridiculous," from behind me.

I whirled, only to find him mere inches from me, and backed away quickly, ending up on my ass. "H-how did you do that?"

He started to roll his eyes, then stopped, eyes narrowing as he stared at me. "You . . . you really don't know, do you?"

"Know what? What is going on here?"

He stepped closer, and a new look flashed across his face. Worry and panic fought in his eyes. "Starlight Wincan, you really don't know who you are?"

I rolled my eyes. "I am not Starlight Wincan. She's just someone I dream about sometimes."

"And in these dreams," he asked softly, "is Starlight you?"

"And?"

"Don't you think that's telling you something?" His voice was still soft.

A small sigh. "Yea, that I'm borderline crazy?"

"No, that you are Starlight Wincan-Hyuuga."

That name. . . . It's so . . . familiar. So angering. A seemingly long forgotten voice screamed up from inside me. I am not a Hyuuga! I am Wincan, only Wincan! I am not a Hyuuga! My father's name was Wincan, he passed that name to me, and only that name! I am Wincan! I am Wincan! I am Wincan! "I am Wincan! Not Hyuuga!" Before I could stop myself, I lunged forward, striking him as hard as I could.

It threw him backward, and he ended up on his ass, leaning against a tree. He chuckled, reaching up to wipe at his bloody lower lip. Shaking his head, he stood, then dusted himself off. "So I guess that's all it took. Bringing up that old sore spot."

The instant it hit me that I'd struck him, I clamped my hands over my mouth. "I'm so sorry," I mumbled through my hands.

He shot me a look. "You're sorry? Who are you right now? Tell me your name."

My name? I am not a Hyuuga. I am not a Hyuuga. I am not a Hyuuga. "I am Wincan," I whispered, looking down. Everything was flashing around me. The fat man, what happened with him, the girl, me. No. Not me.

"She not me," I heard myself whispering.

"Who isn't?" The voice was too close. "Who isn't you?"

It took me a moment for me to speak. "Her."

"Who is she?"

I could see it. All over again. Flashing before my eyes. Falling from the tree, seeing him standing about me. "She's dead."

"Who is?"

I looked up at him, but I could barely see him. Couldn't focus on him. "Shira." Fading. It was all fading. I couldn't remember something important.

"Who the hell is Shira?"

Finally, I could meet his eyes, and see him. "I don't know."


	15. I Don't WANT to Remember

_"How is she?"_

 _"She's just sat there, staring out the window. All day. She hasn't told us where she's been."_

 _"Not word, huh?" Pale silvery-white eyes flashed slightly. "Whatever happened, it must have been shocking to her. May I?"_

 _"Well, we're only admitting family members at this point, but seeing as how you are her cousin, I guess. . . . Go on in. Just don't expect much."_

 _He nodded, opening the door to step through. Closing it gently behind him, he studied the girl sitting in the chair, staring out the window. Silvery, white hair falling over her face, down her back, she seemed . . . fragile. The look in her eyes, when he positioned himself to see, was lost, almost afraid. "Starlight?"_

 _She didn't move. Not even a twitch._

 _He touched her shoulder. Now she reacted, jumping slightly, as though she wasn't aware of his presence. When she turned lost eyes up to his, he felt something feral stir in him. His hand tightened on her shoulder. "Do you remember me?" he asked softly, not sure he wanted the answer._

 _She nodded, but said nothing._

 _"How do you feel?"_

 _Still saying nothing, she shrugged, and turned to stare out the window again._

 _"Starlight, you know you can talk to me, right?"_

 _A small nod._

 _"You aren't alone in this."_

 _She spoke then, with a voice that he barely recognized. "How do I know, for sure?"_

 _"Because I'm right here with you."_

 _"No. How do I know for sure who I am? Am I . . . someone I've forgotten? Am I Starlight Wincan? Or am I a Hyuuga?"_

 _"You're a Hyuuga. I know you've never taken the name as you should, but it's who you are." He sighed. "Even so, you know who you are. Don't let that disappear."_

 _"How do I do that?"_

 _"Talk to someone who knows you."_

I jerked awake, screaming. All I could see was the image of a large, red-shirted man standing above me. I screamed until someone cupped a hand over my mouth. It didn't come from above me. It came from behind me. Someone lying behind me. An instant later, I could feel the warmth off the body behind me, and I panicked.

Thrashing, I fought against the hand over my mouth, elbowing back, kicking, clawing, until, finally, I was freed. I lunged forward, hands flailing in the darkness, until they came into contact with something cool to the touch, and smooth. I fumbled in the darkness, listening to someone curse darkly behind me, and found the exit. It unzipped in short starts, and I bolted out, running as fast as I could.

I didn't make it far before an arm came around my chest. I was jerked to an immediate stop, back slamming against someone's chest hard enough to take my breath away. I thrashed, screaming until a hand cupped over my mouth, but his arm around my chest had trapped my arms at my sides.

Struggling seemed to do little for me. Even stomping on the foot of the person restraining me did nothing but elicit a small, soft groan. The arm merely tightened around me, keeping me in place, tightened until I could barely breathe. And I fell limp, legs buckling, minutes later.

I was lowered to the ground gently, still clasped by the person behind me, and it was then I could hear a voice. "It's okay, Star! Stop, stop it! It's just me! Stop!" It was tinny and faraway at first, but the more I focused on his voice, the more I realized he had been speaking for a long time. Dimly I could remember him speaking before, but I couldn't remember what he'd been saying.

Once my struggles ceased, his arm loosened, and he clasped me lightly, but snugly, against his chest. "It's okay, Star. It's okay." He kept repeating that, over and over. "Stop fighting. It's okay. Stop fighting me." As my struggles slowed, and stopped, his voice changed from frantic to soft.

Stilled at last, I had a vague, slowly-strengthening memory of being told to camp with my team. Kakashi had seemed to think it was a good idea, a good healing, relaxing idea, for me, and what I'd been through. Though whatever I'd been through, I couldn't remember.

I could barely remember my name, or remember how my body worked. I felt clumsy and foreign in my own skin.

And it was then I realized who it was, who had to be the one clasping me against himself. "Sasuke?" My voice was breathy, uncertain.

"Yea," he murmured. "It's me."

I shivered, suddenly cold. "What happened?"

"You woke up from a nightmare. You haven't done that in years."

"That you know of," I told him.

"I would know," he retorted softly. "I know you."

I pulled away, but he wouldn't let go. "Do you mind?" I snapped. Or, tried to. My voice lacked the snapping quality.

"I think it's time you told me exactly what happened when you were gone."

"I don't remember." My voice was still breathy.

"I need to know, Star. I need to know what happened."

"Well, I don't know what happened. I don't remember."

"Star-"

I jerked away violently, shooting to my feet so I could whirl and glare down at him. "I don't remember, okay?! Don't you think that bothers me more? I don't remember what happened to me! I don't remember! I barely remember how to function in my own body! You know how weird that is? Dammit, I don't like that I feel like a foreigner in my own body! I feel like a stranger in my own life. I feel like I'm not really here. Like something, something pulled me away, and now I'm back, and everything's so foreign to me. It's going to take me time to readjust to whatever is happening, but I don't remember."

He looked down, staring at the ground. "I've noticed," he said softly, "that you seem cautious. Much more than usual. You're more clumsy, and it's like you've just begun training again. You don't seem to have full function back." He looked around. "I think that's why he made us come out here, because I'm not the only one who noticed. However, Star," he fixed his eyes on mine, "I need to know what happened to you. I need to know," he took a deep breath, pausing. "I need to know if you were raped."

My eyes widened, and a sharp gasp came from me. I clenched my hand in the fabric over my heart. "W-why would you ask that?" My voice sounded broken now. Breathy, afraid.

"Because right before you screamed," he looked down now, at the ground, "you kept repeating, 'Please, don't,' and whimpering, like someone was hurting you. And right before you woke up and freaked, you said, 'It hurts, please stop.'" He shuddered slightly. "And the way you reacted when I touched you, the way you reacted when I asked you, and the way you're reacting now. I need to know if you were raped, because if you were so much as touched that way," he looked up, and his eyes were burning, flashing red, "I will find whoever did it and make him pay for every single second."

I looked away. "I don't know."

"Starlight-"

"I don't know! I don't remember much of anything." I covered my face with my hands, shaking my head at the same time. "If I could remember, I'd tell you, but I don't." My knees shook, and I started to collapse when I felt arms wrap around me. I was pulled in against his chest seconds before my legs collapsed. He had one arm around my waist, one around my shoulders.

He lowered us to the ground. "What do you remember?"

Vaguely, I could remember hearing a voice. A female, familiar voice. And I could remember pain, a throbbing, painful sensation, though where it came from, I wasn't sure. Everywhere, maybe. "I remember a voice, and I remember pain, but I-I don't remember anything else. I really don't." My voice was soft, breathy. "I wish I could remember, but I can't."

His arms tightened around me.

"I remember . . . a voice. A female voice. Whoever's voice it was, it was familiar. That's . . . all I remember." It was a bit of a lie, but I wasn't going to reveal the rest of it.

"It wasn't . . . her, was it?"

I knew what "her" he was referring to. "No, I don't think so."

"You're sure that's all you remember?"

He sounded suspicious. I sighed. "I-I remember . . . pain."

"From what?" he asked softly.

I shrugged. "I-I'm not sure. It's . . . from everywhere, I think. Everything hurts."

"Hurts?" he repeated.

It made me pause. I was suddenly thrown back into a memory flash. Hands on my thigh, touching me lightly, and me gasping with pain. It made me cringe and wrap my fingers around his shirt. "Yes," I whimpered. "It hurts."

"What does?" His voice was as soft as mine.

I buried my face against his shoulder. "Him touching me."

"So you were raped." There was something about his voice when he said it, and his arms tightened. A low growl, strained.

I tried to push away, but he didn't let me go. "Let go of me."

He shook his head. "Not yet. Answer me."

Shrugging with his arms tight around me was difficult. "I don't know. I-I just remember him touching me. It's blurry, and," I buried my face again, voice coming out muffled, "I don't want to remember any more."

He stroked my hair back, out of my face, other arm still tight. A small sound came from him. A frustrated sound. "I'll find out who got to you, and I swear I'll make them suffer."

Vaguely, I heard voices. I pushed against him, though it did nothing. "Someone's calling for us."

"I know." He sighed, slowly letting go of me. "It's Sakura." He stood, offered his hand down to me.

I took his hand, and let him pull me up. It was at that moment that she broke into sight. Her eyes widened, shooting to our hands. "W-what's going on?"

I pulled my hand away. "I went on a walk, and someone decided to follow."

"You'd have gotten lost without me," he said, giving me a look. "What do you want, Sakura?"

"Kakashi-Sensei is at the campsite. He says someone is looking for Starlight back in Konoha."

"Who?"

She shrugged. "Said it's a woman."

I started to walk, but he grabbed my arm. When I looked back at him, he said, "If it's her, what then?"

"They wouldn't let her into the village, after all she's done, would they?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, but I wouldn't want to take the chance."

"Do you want to escort me there, Uchiha?" I challenged.

A small nod. "Yes, I do."

I rolled my eyes. "I was joking. I'd rather not have you follow me into the village. Stay here and get some sleep or go for a walk, whatever you do in your free time."

His hand tightened around my arm. "You're not going anywhere without me."

"I don't need a chaperone, thank you."

"Starlight," his eyes narrowed, "either I'm going with you, or you're not going anywhere."

I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Fine, then. You can come."

A small nod. "Good."

With a small groan, I turned and started to walk past Sakura, ignoring him as he fell into step behind me.

"I'll come, too," she volunteered immediately.

I groaned again. "Look, I appreciate the sentiment–no, I really don't–but I don't need the entourage."

"We need to go back to the village, anyway. Might as well go back now."

"Why don't we go back, pack up the campsite, and head out to the village?" Sasuke suggested.

"That's a good idea! Let's do that." She jogged ahead of me, and I was grabbed from behind.

Eyes meeting black eyes, I blinked. "What's up?"

"While she'd distracted, let's get going."

I nodded. "Good idea."

Standing in front of the door to the Hokage's office, I felt oddly anticipatory. Almost afraid, though I wasn't sure what it was that was getting to me. Uncertainty, suspicion, something else. Something . . . confusing.

"Are you ready?" Sasuke shifted his weight beside me, almost as though he was as uncomfortable as I was.

I nodded. "I-I think so."

He reached forward, grabbing the doorknob, and threw the door open.

Standing in front of the desk, between two, large, muscular guards, was a woman. Her golden hair was pulled into a tight, elegant bun, and she was wearing a pale pink gown. My heart stopped before she even turned.

"Mo-mother?"

The last thing I saw was blackness.


	16. She's Not Dead

"Starlight, awaken, my child. Waken, dear."

My eyes fluttered, opened slowly. "Hm?" And there she was. A woman I'd sworn dead, a woman I'd seen die before my eyes years ago.

She smiled. "Hi, dear child. Are you well?"

I blinked. "W-what's going on? I thought you were-"

"No, dear one. I was left for such, but as you can see, I have very much survived."

"But how?" My voice was breathy, soft.

"I was found by the villagers after they left. I was wounded, and nursed back to health, but I had no idea where you were. After my recovery, I spent my time trying to track you and your sisters down. You are the only one I have managed to find."

"So . . . Silverstar and Sunset are . . . ?"

"Still missing, regrettably. As much as I would love to say that I have managed to track them down, I have not." She smiled. "However, I've managed to find you, and I want you to return home with me."

I shot to a sitting up position. "Mama, home?" The word boggled my mind. When I pictured home, I pictured my tiny little cottage in the woods. My getaway. My village. Here. It had been a long, long time since I'd longed to go back to Hoshigakure. I'd made a life here, and I wasn't sure I was ready to give it up. "Mama, I-I can't-"

"Now, let's not be so hasty," I heard Kakashi say quickly. "After all, Starlight is a very needed member of our team. With the Chuunin Exams rapidly approaching, our teamwork would be severely damaged without her."

"This is true," the Hokage replied, while I rapidly tried to remember what the 'Chuunin Exams' were. "After all, every student needs to take those exams, anyway. It might be wiser to stick around until after that, and then do as you wish."

"I don't know, My Lord. It's been far too long since Starlight has been home, since we've been a family. I just want to take my daughter home."

"Well, I'm sure Starlight would like a little bit of time to show you around her home. After all, it's quite a quaint little place."

"I don't really believe I want to spend time in a tiny shack, thank you very much," my heart dropped slightly upon hearing this. "I'd much rather take her home."

"The Chuunin Exams are rapidly approaching. Do you think it's a good idea to take her away that soon?"

"I don't want to go back there," I told her.

She had the strangest look in her eyes. "I really just want to get Starlight home as soon as I can."

"Well, we do need Starlight here for the Chuunin Exams. Wouldn't it be a good idea to go home with a proud Chuunin?"

"It would screw over our team to lose her so soon." I looked over to see Sasuke still standing next to me. "We need her now."

She shifted her weight, and I sensed her annoyance. "Mama," I said softly, "please, I want to be able to graduate with everyone else. I have to take the exam anyway, don't I?"

"After all, you do still have your compound that was built here many years ago."

I stiffened at that. "Wait, what?"

"A year before you came to the village to stay for good, your parents had a small compound built in the outlying woods here. I chose to put you in your cottage rather than the compound because it seemed like a safer option, considering your sister would be more likely to break into the compound, rather than finding where you are currently living. It seemed to me to be a safer option."

I agreed. "There would've been more room for her to hide there, too," I said softly.

A small nod. "Exactly. So I chose to just put you where you are."

"Well, thanks." I smiled slightly. "But with my mom, and her guards," I glanced at the two, silent soldiers by her sides, "I should be safe there now."

"I believe so, yes."

"And if you are lacking guards," Kakashi added, "you can always borrow some of our Anbu."

She shifted her weight again, and I could sense her annoyance rising. "Fine. We'll stay until after the Chuunin Exams have passed. After that, we leave. Immediately." She turned. "Come, Starlight. We are going to the compound."

I hesitated. "Can't I pick up some of my things from home?"

"This is not your home, Starlight," she said calmly, "and I will have everything you need brought to you."

I was slightly put off by her saying this wasn't my home, but I said nothing.

It was slowly starting to dawn on me that I may be saying goodbye to the only home I'd known for so many years.


	17. A Friendly Truce

Voices. I could hear voices. Dimly, yet so close. I followed the sound, coming to the fence. I climbed up to hang onto the top of the fence, looking over it to see Sakura, Naruto, three kids, and two unfamiliar people, seemingly older than us.

One of them was speaking, and I ignored his words to follow his eyes. Behind me, up a tree, standing on a limb. . . .

I sighed. "Great, it's him," I muttered, turning forward again, clinging to the top of the fence. "Well, you know what I think?" I asked, climbing up to perch on top of the fence. All eyes turned toward me, and I had the satisfaction of seeing jade green eyes narrow angrily. I smiled sweetly back. "I think this could be all better settled simply by shutting the hell up and going on our own ways. Hm?"

"I don't think letting I want to pass on a chance to make that pipsqueak up there think twice before messing with his elders."

I yawned, climbing down to amble closer. "Elders? I don't see any. You're, what, a year, two, three at most, older? Wow, you're so old! And I guarantee, you'd probably be finished with him in a few seconds. Is that really worth it?"

"That's it, I'm gonna-"

"Back off," another voice cut in. "You're making us seem foolish."

The voice made me tense. It had come from behind me. I whirled, and it took my eyes a few minutes to see someone standing upside down on a tree limb, behind Sasuke. My breath caught. How had we not noticed him?

"U-uh, hey, G-Gaara."

"Losing control of a fight like this. Why do you think we've come here?"

"Right, well, listen, they, uh, started it-"

"Shut up, or I'll kill you."

Wait. That name . . . ? Why was that familiar?

"Right. S-sorry!"

"I'm also really sorry."

He turned to stare at Sasuke for a moment. "Sorry to you guys." Something swirled around him, and I caught a peculiar gleam in his eyes before he disappeared. A rustling sound, and a small burst of power caught my attention. Barely two feet from where I stood, he was now crouching. As he stood, he said, "We arrived early, but we did not come here to play games. Let's go."

"H-hey, wait!"

He barely glanced over at Sakura. "What?"

"Y-you're from Sunagakure, right? Your head protectors. And even though you guys may be allies with us, it is still forbidden for Shinobi to enter each other's villages without permission. So tell me, why are you here? Depending on your purpose, we may not be able to let you go."

The blond with four ponytails laughed lightly. "Don't you know anything?" She held something up. "See my pass? Talk about clueless. . . . But you are right. We are from Sunagakure. We have traveled here to take the Chuunin Selection Exam."

A shockwave ran through me. The Hokage had mentioned that earlier. "H-hey, I've heard of that. I didn't know it was so soon."

She gave me a look, but before she could say anything, Sakura and Naruto interrupted with, "What?"

I shrugged. "The Hokage told me about it a little bit ago. Remember, Sasuke?"

He nodded, jumping down. "Yea. They mentioned it. I didn't think it would come so fast."

"Wa-what? Wait. What is the Chuunin Selection Exam anyway?" Naruto stammered.

"Wow, you really are clueless, aren't you? The Chuunin Exam is where Shinobi from all lands come together to take the exam to become a Chuunin."

"B-but why do we take it together?"

"It's supposed to be to improve relationships between the allies and to improve Genin levels, but each village likes to maintain a balance of power and-"

"Hey! I think I should enter the Chuunin Selection Exams, don'cha think so?!"

"Hey, bastard, I wasn't finished! When you ask a question, wait until the end to talk!"

"Hey, you," Sasuke turned his eyes away, "what's your name?"

"Who, me?" the girl asked.

"No. The one with the gourd."

A look passed over his face, and he glanced between me and Sasuke. "Gaara of the Desert. And your name?"

"Uchiha, Sasuke."

Silence fell between them as both surveyed each other.

"Hey, what about me, huh!?"

"Not interested." He turned away. "Let's go."

Why was that boy so familiar? Why? "Hey," I bumped Sasuke, "didn't he look familiar?"

A small nod. "I would swear that we've met before."

I stood there, staring at his departing back. He turned his head slightly back, and I looked away, realizing he was probably getting annoyed at being stared at.

But I knew that boy.

Those eyes. . . . Where did I know them from?

Darkness. Any moment, she'd come looking for me. I knew that, without a doubt. Well, not her, but her guards. For some odd reason, I found I didn't want to be alone with her. I found that I was unsure of her intentions.

I found I did not want to leave this village.

Though a part of me–a large part, as a matter of fact–wanted to return home, another part of me was afraid to take this chance to go home with her and her guards.

Something was just wrong.

Maybe it was the fact that part of me was very certain I'd watched my mother's death.

Maybe it was the fact that there was another, smaller part of me that wasn't ready to leave this village.

And maybe, maybe it was that yet another part of me was afraid, like Kartwer, she, too, would end up betraying me.

So much had happened in the past few years. Was it possible to return to pre-familial-death times? Or was that time forever behind me, and something else was on the horizon? Was it safe, even, to return home?

Or maybe it was just because I didn't want to leave here. I'd made a home here.

But . . . Hoshigakure was my home.

I mean, I thought it was.

Wasn't it?

Once upon a time, it had been, but what if those times were fully behind me? What if I was destined to never return home? At this point in my life, I'd been here long enough, put enough effort into defending this village, into belonging here, that I wasn't sure I wanted to leave.

A part of me felt like it would be akin to betrayal. Did I really think leaving this village for Hoshigakure, my homeland, was betrayal?

Or was I betraying my own family, my homeland, by being here? By living, breathing, protecting, fighting for this village? Was I a traitor to my own family? To my people? Was I?

Or would I be a traitor for leaving this village?

A raindrop hit my forehead. I looked up at the exact moment the skies parted and raindrops shot toward me. For a moment, I was caught in the frozen moment, caught between wanting to shiver and run away, and something else.

Another droplet hit my forehead, and more after that, and I realized I didn't want to run. I stood, staring up at the blackened, cloudy skies.

And I didn't want to leave. This was my home now. This. Here. No matter what happened. I wasn't ready to leave.

Not yet. Not with her.

And with that decision, with that realization, I felt something heavy fall from my shoulders. It was almost as though I'd been carrying around something heavier than I, draped over my shoulders, pulling me down, for weeks. With that freeing, breathless feeling, I laughed.

And I spun. Circle after circle after circle, step after step after step, I spun. I danced, laughing, until I was breathless. I danced in the rain, laughing breathlessly, throwing my arms out, throwing my head back, and closing my eyes. In circles, I spun, jumping, dancing, running, in that small clearing. Once, I'd almost stepped into the small stream, but I avoided it. At first, anyway. When I stepped in it a second time, I stopped, and, breathless and dizzy, stared down at it.

Lifting the pure white nightgown Mama had insisted I wear up to my knees, I stepped in deeper. Terror warred with pleasure, with desperation. I wanted to dance, I wanted to be fearless. For once in my life, I wanted to be free.

The thought of freedom, the realization that that was exactly what I was here, made me laugh again. I laughed until I was breathless, and then I spun, right there in water up to my shins. I spun and spun, and dropped the gown, letting it become waterlogged. Letting it be the only thing to weigh me down. I was afraid if I had nothing weighing me down, I would almost just float away.

I danced, until I was soaked to the bone, and laughed, until I was breathless. Climbing out of the water, feet on the grass, I jumped, then jumped again, then spun and jumped. And the dance continued as the rain dwindled.

Disappointed, I stopped, and stared at the sky, watching the raindrops wither and die. It was then that the hair at the nape of my neck decided to prick up, like I was being watched. "H-hello?" I called. Exasperated, I threw my arms down to my sides. "Did Mama send you? Hello!"

Nothing.

I looked around, eyes carefully scanning each layer of the woods, until I caught sight of a boy, standing in the foliage of a tree. "Sasuke, get down here, you bastard!" I stalked over to stand under the tree. "Get down here before I-"

Something dropped down from the tree, but it wasn't the person I expected it to be.

I jumped back, eyes widening. "Y-you, you're the boy from earlier."

A small inclination of his head, pale teal eyes narrowing slightly.

Those eyes. . . . Where do I know them from? "H-have we met?"

He lifted his head slightly, and a look crossed over his face too fast for me to catch. When he looked away, a strand of crimson hair fell in front of his face, obscuring the mark on his forehead, and I felt, for a moment, like I'd been thrown back in time.

It took my breath away for a moment, and I found myself trying to compare the boy I'd known to the one in front of me. The eyes, while they had the same physical look, the overlaying emotions were completely different. It took my breath away.

Just like back then, I still had to look up a bit to meet his eyes–well, I would've, if he'd been looking at me. "A-are you . . . do I . . . know you?"

He closed his eyes. "Not anymore." The voice had changed, almost unrecognizably so.

"Bu-but you were there." I moved a bit so I was staring directly up at him. "W-weren't you?"

A small nod.

It almost made me smile, but the look on his face–it just stopped me. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

"Because that was a lifetime ago."

"It wasn't that long ago. I mean, yea, a few years have passed, but you don't see your friend and-"

Eyes flashing open, he turned to stare at me. His eyes were burning, angry–cold. "We are not friends."

My heart throbbed at that, at the way he said it. "But we-"

"Don't be naive. That was a long time ago."

"But," I looked down slowly, "w-we were . . . you and I, we're friends."

"We are not friends. Don't kid yourself. Just because we've met before doesn't make you any safer than anyone else."

"I don't understand."

"What about this is hard to understand?"

"We were friends."

"Don't kid yourself."

At that moment, I had a small memory flash, and I found myself remembering what I'd been told about him. I looked up, eyes meeting his. "I refuse to believe this is you talking. You wanted nothing more than to belong, to have someone care about you. You wanted a friend, and I am your friend."

He rolled his eyes. "That child you befriended died a long time ago. Why is that hard to understand?"

"Because I still see him in you."

"Then you are blind." He turned away from me.

My eyes hardened. I reached out, grabbing his arm. "Don't you dare walk away from me."

A paused moment, and I was thrown backward, hard. My back hit the tree, and I found myself meeting angry, pale teal eyes. "I wouldn't touch me again, if I were you."

I glared at him, pushing away from the tree. "Is it that hard for you to accept that somebody, anyone, cares about you?"

A look crossed over his face, and he twitched. "Don't fool yourself into thinking I care."

I stepped forward. "Once upon a time, you cared. What happened to you? Did you finally start believing the crap they fed you? You let them brainwash you, but this isn't you. Don't buy it."

He glared at me. "I am not brainwashed."

"Then tell the truth! You have always wanted to belong, and that hasn't changed, just because you've buried that part of you. He's still in there."

A small scoff, and he turned away. "Stop believing in fairytales."

He started to walk away, so I ran ahead of him, holding my arms out straight, eyes burning. "Don't you walk away from me! This isn't finished! I'm not going to let you fall into that dark corner."

A small twitch, sand flashed at me, surrounding me. "You don't learn, do you?"

I winced slightly, but kept my eyes steady on his. "You can kill me now, but even if you do, I promise you I'm not leaving. Even if it takes me lifetime after lifetime after lifetime, I'm not going to give up on you. Whether you like it, or believe it, or not, you are my friend. And I won't stop fighting for that."

His eyes twitched, and he raised his hand. The sand tightened, and I found it harder and harder to breathe, but I kept my eyes steady on his. Right at the breaking point, he paused, then dropped his hand. The sand fell, retreating to his gourd.

Falling to my knees, I took a few deep breaths, and watched him turn away. "Run from it if you wish, but the Gaara I know, he's not dead, and I know he's in there somewhere."

"No, he's not."

"If he wasn't," I pointed out, "why didn't you kill me?"

A moment passed, and he turned his head to look back at me. The look in his eyes was guarded. "You aren't worth my time," he said finally, turning away again. He started to walk away.

I didn't follow him this time. I stood, took a few more deep breaths, and yelled at his retreating back, "You know, even when you're angry, even when you look like you want to kill me, you still have beautiful eyes!"

He didn't slow, and I didn't expect him to, but I made a vow then.

No matter what, I won't lose you to darkness.

"Starlight! Starlight, waken! It is getting late in the morn!"

I groaned, rolling over to glare at the alarm clock. "It's seven in the morning," I grumbled to myself. "Seven. In the morning." Having just recently rolled my way into sleep, I was none too pleased to be awakened so soon.

"Starlight, waken! Come down here quickly before the morn is up!"

A small sigh, and I started to push at the blankets, even if they did feel so warm and comfy. . . . Ugh. Sitting up on the bed, I looked around. The room was nothing like my room at home, or my room back at Hoshigakure. It was cream and gold, a room larger than my entire cottage. It reminded me vaguely of my parents' room back home, yet more cold and unfeeling.

I just didn't feel safe in here. I felt like I was just so close to being hunted.

"Starlight!"

"I'm coming!" I yelled back, padding to the door. At least the plush, soft carpet felt amazing against bared feet, and the nightgowns I hadn't realized I'd sort of missed felt amazing against my skin. I'd missed the silky feel of the nightgowns I'd once had, and I vowed I would never not have them. Twisting the door open, I padded out into the long, linoleum hallway. It looked so much like my first home. So much so it made my heart ache. Not because of homesickness, but because I felt like a traitor for not wanting to return.

I followed the hallway to the tall double doors that led to the alcove, then the stairs, and slowly made my way to the dining room. "Yes, Mama?"

She sat, already clothed and made up, in the head seat at the long table, head held high and blue eyes gleaming. With all that golden hair, and pale skin, she looked beautiful, and icy. Icy as she ever looked. She wore a pink, silk gown that was spread around her and her chair elegantly, exposing a good part of her upper chest. Her golden hair was pulled into a tight, elegant, extravagant bun. "Starlight, you took long enough. Now, have a seat, dear." She gestured to the seat next to her.

I slowly made my way there, sitting cautiously next to her. She looked like a picture, like any move could upset her. "Okay, Mama."

"Breakfast is on its way. I had them hold it until you came down."

"How kind, Mama."

She smiled slightly. "I wanted to be sure my daughter ate a nice, balanced meal." She turned away from me, facing the door to the kitchen. "Bring in breakfast now!"

Seconds later, people stormed in, four or five of them, carrying huge plates of food. They set everything down, scurrying around us obediently.

"Thank you," I said softly to them.

She gave me a look. "You don't thank the help, dear. It's what they are here for." She didn't even glance at them as they filled her plate, and mine, and our goblets. "You were born into this. I hope you haven't forgotten your manners."

I stared down at the plate of food, not entirely sure of what it was. It had pudding, or something, and what looked like fruits.

She lightly picked up a long, thin spoon and started to slowly eat, not even once getting the pudding on her lips. The pudding and fruit barely filled up half of the tip of her spoon as she ate.

I stared at my food, picking up the similar spoon on my end, and took a spoonful of it to my mouth.

She stopped eating to stare at me. "Starlight Wincan, you can't eat like that! That's barbaric!"

"Wh-what is?"

She reached over, lowering my hand. "Get a new spoon for the fruit parfait. Immediately!"

My spoon was taken instantly, and replaced with a new one. I smiled at the boy that did it, but said nothing. "Mama, I don't understand. What did I do wrong?"

"You filled your spoon way too much, and you wonder why you have parfait on your cheek." She sighed, tsked, and reached over with a cloth napkin, rubbing at my cheek. "Watch me, dear one. It's not so hard. And your posture, something must be done with your posture!" She clapped her hands.

People rushed forward, and a silky rope was pulled across my shoulders, pulling me tightly to the back of my chair, and I found myself tied up as straight as I could get, to the chair. "How am I supposed to reach my food?" I asked. My chair was then scooted inward. I reached for the spoon, unsuccessfully trying to sit forward to get to it, but I was able to get the spoon.

"Now, see this?" She demonstrated dipping the spoon into what she called the parfait, barely filling up the tip of the spoon. "Now, watch my lips, so you don't get food all over yourself." She stuck the spoon into her mouth, closing her lips around the parfait part.

I copied slowly, carefully, because I was afraid she'd try to tie some other part of me. I filled the tip just barely, and took the bit of it off the spoon.

"That's better. Keep your back straight, and eat delicately. You are a lady, a princess. It's time you learn to act like one."

Irritating, but I obeyed. Not that I figured I had any other choice. I'd nearly finished with the parfait when the doorman burst into the room. "Milady, we have guests. Milady Starlight's team has arrived."

"Show them in."

He bowed, backing out in the bow. A minute or two passed before Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke entered.

"Why is she tied to the chair?" was the first thing said. Naruto's blue eyes were locked on me.

"Probably to keep her from running away," I heard Sasuke mutter.

Even if it was three people I didn't like and one person I looked up to, I grinned. "Mama, may I be excused? We have training to do. Right, Sensei?" I turned pleading eyes to him.

A small nod. "As fun as this looks to be, with the Chuunin Exams coming up, we have a lot of training to do."

She sighed. "Yes, okay." She snapped her fingers, and people rushed forward, untying me. "We will continue with your lessons later today. Okay?" She gave me a look.

I nodded, sighing. "Yes, Mama. I'm looking forward to it." I pushed the plate away and stood, jogging toward my group. "Thank you," I mouthed to Kakashi.

He said nothing, but his one visible eye twinkled, like he found all this amusing.

"Starlight Wincan, stop right there!"

I paused, staring back at her. "Hai, Mama?"

"Your clothing has been laid out for you. Go get changed."

I nodded. "Hai, Mama," I sighed.

And upstairs, I lamented my easy defeat. Staring down at my bed, at the pure white gown she'd had laid out for me, I wanted to hang myself.

A knock at my door. "Star, we've been waiting long enough."

A small sigh. "Come in, Sasuke."

The door opened, and he walked in, freezing when he saw the gown. An instant later, he was laughing.

I punched his shoulder. "Shut up, numbnuts. It's not funny. She wants me to wear that to train in."

Still chuckling, he shrugged. "You know you're not getting out of the house without wearing that."

"I don't even remember how the fuck to put on something like that!" I picked up the gown, revealing the stays, corset, shift, petticoats, underwear, and tights underneath. "I'm in hell, Sasuke. In hell."

"Well, I'll help."

I gave him a look. "Help me get dressed, are you nuts?"

He walked to the door, locking it. "No, I'm serious. I don't have to see anything important. There's a bathroom there, you can get what you can on your own, and I'll help with the rest."

A small sigh. "I'm not wearing that."

"Tell you what," he moved to sit on my bed, "you get that on, we get out of here, I'll loan you some of my clothes. Deal?"

I gave him the look that deserved. "I have my own clothes at my house."

"But that requires us going all the way there. My place is closer."

Another sigh. "Deal." Turning, I grabbed the crap I needed to throw on and went into the adjoined bathroom. The underwear went first, the shift after that, and I opened the door. "I'll need your help with the corset."

He made his way toward me, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "What about the petticoats, and the tights?"

I glanced over at where I'd discarded them in the corner. "I'm not putting that one."

"You know you're mom is likely to check for that. If you don't, she'll send you back up."

Unfortunately, he was right. I sat down and pulled the tights on, then pulled the petticoat overtop the shift. "Fine. Now, the corset?" I pulled it around my body. "All I need is for you to tie it."

"Obviously." He grabbed the strings, allowing me to let it go, and I could feel it tighten, and tighten. "Good?"

"A bit more, I can still breathe," I said drily.

A chuckle. He tightened it a little more, then tied it off. "Now, for the last of it all, the gown."

I turned toward him, backing away as he picked it up. "Um, I can do that part myself."

"It needs tied, too."

I let out a frustrated growl, yanking it from him. "Fine, but I'm putting it on myself. You can tie it once I get it on." I pulled it over my head quickly, pulling it down over the petticoat, and grimaced when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. "I hate this."

"I know," he said, walking around me to pull the gown tight. "Can you breathe?" he asked after a moment.

I shrugged. "Who cares? If it kills me, I'll be spared the humiliation, right?"

"If you die in this, do you really want to be buried in it?"

"I can breathe enough."

A small sound, and he tied it off, then reached around me for the ribbons dangling at my waist. "And now for the bow. . . ."

"If it's not perfectly straight–"

"Yea, I know. I've been here before, remember?" He pulled it tight, tied it off. "It's straight."

I turned a bit so I could see it in the mirror, sighing when I actually saw myself and realized I was wearing it. "I hate this."

"You know she's going to make you put your hair up, too, right?"

I rolled my eyes. "If I asked you to braid it, would you do it?"

Without a word, he walked behind me and I felt my hair being tugged on lightly. Two long strands fell out, my bangs. They were too long now to be really considered bangs, but not long enough to be pulled into a ponytail or a braid. "The bangs are going to irritate my mom."

"Nothing anyone can do about that," he said softly. He handed the braid over to me. "Hold it. I'm going to go find something to tie it off with." I nodded, waiting a few seconds for him to come back. When he did, he took the braid from me and I felt my hair being tugged at lightly. "Found nothing, so I cut a ribbon from something in there, and there you go."

I pulled my hair around to look at it. It was neater than I expected, with a nice bow at the end of it. "You cut a ribbon from what, exactly?"

"The armoire in your room has nightgowns. I trimmed a bit off the bottom of one."

It made me chuckle slightly. "She'd be so pissed if she found out."

"Hey," he shrugged when I turned to see him, "at least you're ready to go."

"Am I?" I sighed. "Not so sure of that." I walked past him. "Who knows you're up here?"

"All of them. They're waiting outside the door."

I glared at him. "Wait, they watched you come in here?"

A small nod. "Yeah."

"Ugh." I groaned, going to the unlock and open the door, standing strategically behind it so I wouldn't be seen. "Go tell them I'll be out in an hour. Or tomorrow."

He rolled his eyes, grabbing my arm. "Come on, Star. We don't have time for this."

"This little comradery ends after today, got it?"

A small nod. "What comradery? I'm just making sure we get out of her faster." He pulled me out.

And into the sight of two bored, and one irritated, people. "What took so long?"

"She didn't want to come out," he said evasively.

"Training in that would be illogical."

"No doubt about that. . . ."

"It's going to get so dirty!"

"Let's just get going, okay?" I asked, pushing through Naruto and Sakura. "I just want to get out of this."

"I hope you have a spare set of clothes somewhere."

"She does."

I led the way downstairs, getting more and more irritated as I moved. "This is ridiculous," I hissed out from between my teeth.

My mom waited downstairs, hands clasped in front of her and a big grin on her face. "Oh, Starlight! You look like such a little lady! I was so worried. You didn't call for your maids for help. I thought you would have forgotten how to get dressed! How did you get the corset on by yourself?"

"I had help," I said evasively. "I called for help."

"Whoever did your hair. . . ." A look crossed over her face. "It's a bit too simple. Come." She snapped her fingers, and a maid stepped forward.

Casting a glare at the floor, I stood in place while the maid behind me twisted the braid into a bun and pinned it tightly in place. An immediate headache started up.

She smiled again. "Much better! Except for the strands of hair. Why would you cut your hair like that? Pin those!"

The maid snapped to attention instantly, taking my bangs and pulling them to the same side, pulling them around as far as she could get them, then pinning them to the side of my head, as near the bun as she could.

"That's perfect! You look like the perfect little princess."

I tried not to glare at anything. "Shall we go now?"

"Love the rose," came the snide remark from a certain pink-haired, green-eyed girl.

I glared at her now. "Let's go," I hissed, moving forward.

"Your slippers are by the door, Starlight!"

S-slippers? "Slippers?"

"Right. Just slip them on, and you will be fine. I've arranged for transportation to wherever you need to go."

"Mama, we don't–"

"That's awesome! We've been walking everywhere!" Sakura said, smiling at my mom. "Thank you."

My mom smiled back. "You could learn a thing or two from this young lady. Hm. You know," she tapped her chin with one, long, dainty finger, "with the Chuunin Exams coming up, this is a great time for celebration, isn't it? All the villages coming together. Oh, I do love a nice, elegant party!"

Oh, no.

"I think that's a great idea!"

"Yea, with lots of cake!"

I glared at the pink-haired and the blonde idiots. "Shut up," I hissed.

"Hai. Lots of good, delicious food." She smiled. "However, I'm not sure how this village works. Do most of your ladies have gowns they can use, and the gentlemen have nice suits?"

Sakura glanced at me. "Like that?"

She nodded. "Yes. I am thinking a nice masquerade ball. Let everyone mingle, without knowing what village anyone is from."

"I think most people should be able to get dresses like Starlight's."

"Oh, no. Not like hers. Hers is far too plain." The words sent a chill down my spine.

"Oh, I think I can manage it." She smiled. "It'll be fun."

My mom turned toward our Sensei. "Is she necessary for the training today? I would like to borrow her for a couple hours, to help with the party. She knows the village better than I."

"Uh-"

"Oh, Sensei, please?!"

"Well, okay. Sure."

She squealed slightly. "Thank you!"

"As for the rest of us, let's go." I jogged toward the front door, noticing the high heeled slippers by the door, and groaned.

Sasuke stepped up beside me, chuckling lightly. "Looks like you're ready to pop."

"I am." I slipped one foot into the slipper, and realized it barely gave me an inch height increase, so not bad. Slipping the other one on, I reached up to fiddle with the leftover strands, only to discover there were no leftover strands. It made me glare at the door. "Are we ready?"

"Go on, dear one. Outside is your carriage. Make use of it." My mom sauntered off with her new charge, and the doorman swung open the doors. There was a horse-drawn carriage outside, waiting, and I grimaced, immediately tripping over the hem of my gown.

"You're supposed to hold it, remember?" Uchiha reminded me, smirking slightly.

I glared at him, gathering the fabric in my fingers and stalking toward the carriage.

"Oh, wow! That looks awesome! I've never been in whatever that thing is before!" Naruto shot ahead, dancing in front of the carriage while the other doorman opened the carriage door. "I feel like royalty. I didn't know we had a princess on our team."

I reached it next, grumbling under my breath. "I'm not a princess."

A hand appeared in front of me. I looked over to see smug black eyes. "Need some help?"

I glared at him, but he didn't move his hand away, so I knocked it away. "Watch it, Uchiha. Some goodwill only gets you so far."

He chuckled. "For the record, this brings back memories." He held his hand out again.

"I'll cut it off."

"It's either me, or the doorman. You know that better than I do." He dropped his hand and moved in front of me, into the carriage, then leant out and held his hand out to me. "Or is it supposed to be like this?"

"I will claw that hand off."

"Milady Starlight, do you need assistance?" I heard.

Taking a deep breath, I took his hand, deliberately digging my nails in, just a bit.

A chuckle, and he pulled me gently upward, into the carriage. He sat beside me while Kakashi climbed in. "Comfy," Kakashi commented once he'd seated himself, "but completely unnecessary."

"My mother doesn't take no for an answer. You refuse her, and she bugs you until you give in," I mumbled.

"So I've noticed."

"So this is how you grew up?" Naruto's eyes were wide. He was inspecting everything. "It's so comfortable. It's like a room on wheels!"

"It's a horse-drawn carriage, dope. Not a room on wheels."

He sat down, scratching his head. "Well, how am I s'posed to know that? I've never been in one."

And for a minute, I felt pity for him. The boy had grown up without family, and he really had never known comfort like this. I looked down at the floor, then up at Naruto, letting a small smile break through. "Wanna see something cool?"

He nodded. "Sure!"

I moved my legs to the side, bent over and opened the secret compartment I knew would be there, retrieving the silver goblets, the bottle of non-alcoholic juice, and the tray. "Four should do," I mumbled to myself, handing everything anywhere. When I straightened, I had the tray, Uchiha had two goblets, Naruto the other two, and Kakashi was inspecting the juice. "It's not alcoholic," I told him.

"Pity," he said, handing it to me.

I poured it in each glass, put it on the tray, and handed it to the Uchiha, reaching down once more to pull out the folding table. "It should be a decently smooth enough ride for this, but just in case, hold onto the table. Set the tray down, and Naruto, would you do me a favor?"

His eyes were sparkling, and he nodded. "Yupp! Sure!"

"There's a compartment in your seat, too, with snacks. Would you get that out?"

Another nod, and he bent, trying to figure out how to open it, muttering to himself. Uchiha started to stand, muttering something about helping him, and I touched his arm, shaking my head. A minute or two passed, and an "Aha!" marked his victory. He straightened, sat, and put a small container of what would be delicious dumplings and pastries on the table, setting four matching silver plates down next. "This is awesome!"

I nodded, opening the container and using the tongs hidden inside to put one dumpling and one pastry on each plate. "One sec. I think I have to signal that we're ready. Don't take a drink yet."

Before I could say anything, Uchiha had turned and reached out the window to tap on the top of the carriage. It began to move. He smirked slightly. 6"I remember how to do that."

It almost made me smile. "Well, now, enjoy. Just remember, we're moving, so be careful." I moved closer to the window on my side, staring out as we left the compound. "It really does bring back memories, doesn't it?"

"Yea," he said softly, and I knew what he was thinking. The soft tone of voice.

I turned toward him, and saw a flash in his eyes. "I'm sorry," I said softly.

A small twitch of his lips, but he said nothing, merely choosing to sip at his drink.

"/5*8-*Not bad at all," Kakashi remarked, leaning back to read his book. "I could almost get used to this."

"Me too!" Naruto exclaimed, shoving the dumpling into his mouth. "Thid id masome!"

I blinked, shook my head, and turned to stare out the window again.

A few minutes passed before I heard a slight tap, and the carriage slowed. I looked over to see Sasuke starting to stand. "Sorry, but this is where we have to get off. Starlight can't train in the dress, so we'll be right back."

"Aww, do we have to get off?" Naruto asked, face falling.

I shook my head. "No, you two stay. We'll meet up with you at the training grounds. Enjoy the ride as long as you want." I smiled, and helped scoot the tabl8+8+/2e out of Sasuke's way before he slid past me. "Why are you getting out first?"

"You need someone to help you down, don't you?"

I rolled my eyes. "Ugh. This is something I didn't miss. Constant gowns."

The door opened, and he jumped out, turning to reach inside to help me down. For once without arguing, I just let him help me down. Not only because less arguing meant the faster I could get out of the gown, but because there was still a shadow in his eyes, and I didn't want to aggravate it more.

It was when I got off of the carriage that I felt eyes on me. Hand still wrapped inside and around his, I looked toward the tingly feeling, and met pale teal eyes.

My breath caught. I wasn't entirely sure how to react. I mean, after him trying to possibly kill me, and my declaration of friendship whether he liked it or not. He was watching, eyes guarded, shielded, like I'd come to expect. This time, though, I could see a sliver of something else.

"Star?" The voice brought me back to myself, and I shook my head, looking away, toward black eyes. "You've got a death grip on my hand."

I looked down at our hands, and, yes, I did have a tight grip on his. Pulling my hand away from his, I turned to look for him again. I caught his eyes again. He was still looking toward us. Instead of just staring at him, I raised one hand and waved, forging a smile as I did.

A look crossed his face, and he turned to walk away.

"Who are you waving at?"

I shook my head. "A friend. Just leave it at that." I walked away a bit. "So, where are we going?"

"My place," he pointed. "There." He overtook the lead, walking quickly.

"Uh, hey, dude, hate to rain all over your parade, but," I tried to keep up, "person in a gown heavier than you are trying to keep up here."

He stopped, glancing back at me. "Right. Sorry." He began walked again, slowly this time.

I studied him, staying silent until we were inside his apartment, then I let it go. "Okay, what's wrong? You never apologize. What's going on? Are you okay?"

He gave me a look. "I'm fine, Star. Don't worry about me."

"I'm sorry, you know," I said as he walked toward his drawer. "For your parents, for your family."

He was in the middle of opening the drawer when I said that. "Why would you be sorry?" he asked softly.

I looked away, toward the wall. "Because I know how hard this has got to be on you. I mean . . . my mom, suddenly alive, coming here, throwing all this in your face. All these memories," my eyes wondered around the room, "of where we used to be, what we used to be. Suddenly I feel like we've been thrown back in some sick, twisted time warp, and I'm sorry, because I know it's got to be worse for you."

He dropped whatever he had in his hand, standing still, staring at the floor. Silence for a few minutes. He was chewing his bottom lip. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Sasuke-"

He shook his head. "No, just let it go, Starlight."

He rarely called me Starlight. Usually just Star. It made me pause. "Okay. . . . But, just . . . if you do want to talk, or just sit and relax, or whatever . . . let me know, okay?"

He gave me a look at that. "Why do you care?"

I tilted my head. "As much bullshit as we've gone through together, I think you and I are the only people that really understand each other."

Silence for a moment, he nodded slightly. "But you hate me."

"I don't hate you. I mean, not really. I hate what you represent." Another look. "I mean, I hate that you represent someone throwing in my face that I have no choices. The contract, having no control over it, you know? And I hate that every time I look at you, I remember us as kids. Either in Hoshigakure, or right here, and," I placed my hand over my heart, "it hurts, Sasuke, thinking about that. About where we used to be. About how far we've come from that. Six years ago, did you ever think we'd be where we are? Who we are now?"

A silent moment. "I feel the same way about you," he said softly. "Except, for me, it's just, when I look at you, when I think of you, I remember what it was like when you first came here. When you lived with us."

I smiled. "Remember the pumpkin pie?"

A small, wry smile. "You kept bugging him for more."

"And the garden."

"You learnt pretty quickly, and managed to drug me with peach tree leafs."

"I wanted to prank you, but . . . I got caught."

/"What were you planning on doing to me, by the way?"

I shrugged. "I never really had a solid plan. I never thought the sedative would actually work, you know? It was just testing, really. I don't know what I'd have done to you. Dragged you to Sakura's, or Ino's, probably."

"I would have never forgiven you," he said, with that same wry, wistful smile. Silence descended. "You remember when I saved you, when I pulled you from the water?"

A nod. "When she pushed me in?"

"Yea." He looked away. "I was so afraid I was going to lose you before I got the chance to make you like me."

"Pft, face it, Uchiha," he looked at me, "you saved me because I'm awesome."

Small smile, a chuckle. He tilted his head, eyes clearing. "Yea, something like that."

"Oh, you admit it? Really? Wow. That's a first."

"I wasn't agreeing so much as just letting you think that."

"Bull. You and I both know that you worship me."

He laughed at that. "You wish."

"Pft. I know." I smiled, feeling good that I'd made him laugh, even a bit.

He gave me a look, eyes softening. "Thanks, Star." A long sigh, he turned and picked up whatever he'd had in his hand before, tossing it to me. "Shirt, and," he turned, digging something else out, "shorts," he tossed them to me. "You can get changed in the bathroom, and then we'll go."

I nodded, turning toward the bathroom. "I'll be right back."

When I was at the door, he called out, and I turned. When my eyes met his, he said, "You know I'd never force you into the contract, right?"

I stared at him for a moment.

"I mean, even if your mother pushes the issue, I'm not going to force you to follow through with the contract. I've read it before, and it says I have the final say. I can always just say no."

It made me smile. "Thanks." I closed the door behind me, then realized. . . .

The door opened behind me. "You need me to untie everything, don't you?"

I nodded. "Just do it quickly. Like a bandaid."

"You realize you're going to have to put all this back on before you go home, right?"

Groan. "So, it's not an option if I just hide out in your closet until I die, right?"

"/++++++++6Always an option," he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. I felt the ribbon being untied. "The only thing I can't undo is the hair. I don't think I can duplicate that."

"You're helping me undo the hair, or I'm drugging you again and doing something awful. It's making my friggin' head hurt so bad, I could murder something."

He chuckled. "Fine, but don't blame me if you get yelled at. Turn around." I turned, and he slowly began to untangle my hair quickly, but carefully, moving around me as he did. When my hair fell, free, against my back, and I let out a sigh, he finished untying the ribbons, then the back of the gown, and, lastly, the corset. "As for the slippers," he kicked at them where I'd discarded them, "I don't think I have shoes that'll fit you."

"I'm not wearing the slippers."

"What's your shoe size? Three?"

"Five," I huffed.

"Yea, I don't have anything that'll fit you."

"Then I'll be barefoot." The gown and corset dropped, and I pulled the petty coat off. "Okay, you can go now."

A small nod, and he left, shutting the door behind him.

I changed quickly, making a decision then and there that I was not changing back into the gown. When I came out, carrying the draped gown over my arm, he was leaning back against his bed, eyes closed. Face peaceful. I placed the gown and its many layers on a chair, and stood by the bed, looking down at him. "Sleeping?"

"Haven't had much time to do so," he mumbled, making me jump.

I thought he'd actually been asleep. "Join the club. I didn't get to bed until five AM."

He opened one eye a slit, staring up at me for a few minutes in silence. "Don't take this the wrong way," he said slowly, "but I say we ditch training today, and just nap."

"Ditch training? Who are you, and what did you do with the Uchiha?"

He chuckled. "I'm serious."

"Breaking news, Sasuke suggests ditching training! Get the inside details now!"

"It's not that big a deal."

"Sasuke, you train until you're nearly dead on your feet, and–" It hit me then. "How many days have you been nonstop training?"

"Not nonstop," he mumbled.

"You answer me truthfully or I'll never let you have another day of sleep in your life."

A sigh. "Three. I've had about two hours of sleep the past three days."

I crossed my arms.

"So, are you going to take me up on my offer, Ms. Insomniac? Or are you going to play tough and pretend you haven't had as little, or less, sleep as I've had?"

Tempting, so tempting. "Fine, but you're sleeping on the floor."

He scoffed. "Screw that. My bed."

"I'm not sleeping with you."

"Just face the other way if it bothers you."

"You-"

"Build a pillow wall, like you used to."

I wavered. "There's not enough pillows."

"Then just face the other way."

"Scoot over, then."

He shook his head, closing his one open eye. "Hell no. I get the side closest to the door."

I sighed, going around the bed to settle on the other side. "Fine, but if you so much as touch me, I'll skin you alive."

He chuckled, and I felt the bed shift as I lay on my side. He threw the blankets over me, and I closed my eyes. "Just as long as you don't wake up screaming, I won't skin you. Deal?"

"Deal."

It was then I realized I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. "Are you facing me?"

"I prefer this side," he said, voice already starting to roughen from sleep. A chuckle. "Remember the first few weeks you were out here? How many nightmares you had?"

I nodded.

"What made you stop having them? I remember how you would scream and wake up the whole compound."

"I s+topped sleeping. That's what made them stop."

"You still have them?"

I nodded again.

"So do I." The bed shifted. "Sleep well, Star."

"You too."


	18. Why?

Familiar. A familiar scent surrounded me, and an oddly familiar feeling. It reminded me of my childhood days. Security. I felt warm. And comfortable.

And oddly, safe.

There was a weight at my waist, and at my back. Warm breath at the nape of my neck. It took a minute for me to realize the arm around my waist wasn't mine, and that the same arm was clasped to my chest. And though I waited for panic to set in, all I could do was lie there peacefully in a warm, comforting scent.

And it dawned on me, where I was, what I was doing. For a moment, I let myself stay there, keeping my eyes comfortably closed, but I didn't want to be here when he woke up. I had to go. Very slowly, and as silently as I could, I let his arm go and slid it off my waist, sliding my body away from his slowly as I did, so I could put his arm comfortably between his body and mine. Shifting the bed as little as possible, I climbed out, rolling gently and soundlessly to the floor before crouching to peer over the edge of the bed at him.

Peaceful, eyes closed, lips slightly parted, hair mussed. He was still asleep.

Using my Chakra to mask the sound of my feet on the floor, I padded to the front door, unlocked it, opened it, and left, locking the door behind me.

Outside, it was beginning to grow dark. I gasped, and realized I'd missed out on the whole training day. "Oh, he's going to kill me!"

As luck would have it, there was someone passing by as I snuck out of that apartment. Blue eyes meeting mine, Ino glared at me from across the street. She stood in place for a few minutes, just glaring at me, and I stood staring back, until I realized just why she was glaring at me.

"Uh, hi, Ino!" I called, waving as nonchalantly as I could.

"What are you doing coming out of there? At this time of night?"

I shrugged. "Late night training, and-"

"And why are you wearing his clothes?"

Oh, shit. I looked down at myself. "Um, long, boring, confusing story."

"Why were you in there?" she demanded. "And why did you come out wearing that?"

"Loaner clothes." Worse. I left my gown inside. Shit! Mama's going to kill me!

The panic must've shown on my face, because her glare worsened. "You–I can't believe you-"

Someone passed between us at that moment, and she backed away instantly, eyes going wide, clenching her mouth shut. It must've been something in his eyes that frightened her, because the look of fear on her face made no sense.

"Oh, um, h-hi, Gaara."

He turned his eyes to me. Cold, but with a flicker in them. Saying nothing, he didn't falter in his pace as he walked between us.

I sighed, and fell into step beside him, glancing back at Ino's face as I did. A look of anger crossed her face, but she shrank away when my companion followed my gaze. She turned and walked away. I sighed again. "Boy, if you hadn't come along at that time, that could've been awkward."

He turned to me again, running his eyes over me, still saying nothing.

"I know how weird this is, but I swear, this isn't what you think. I just needed a change of clothes, and he offered."

His eyes flashed up to my disheveled hair that I hadn't yet smoothed into place, but he faced forward, still saying nothing.

I smoothed my hair quickly. "Long day, training." I laughed nervously, but he shot me a look, and I sighed. "Okay, I fell asleep and missed training, and, yea, it's a little late, and a little weird, for me to be sneaking out of his apartment wearing his clothes, but . . . ah, hell, I don't even have a way to finish that sentence."

Another sideways glance at me.

"And now I can't go home because I left the gown and everything in his apartment, and I can't go back in because he's sleeping and I locked the door behind me, so I guess I'm sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place." A thought passed my mind. "Okay, look, I can't go home yet, and I know you're likely not going to go back to your inn any time soon, so, why don't we-"

"Not interested."

"Why?"

He stopped, gave me a look. "We aren't friends."

I stopped, crossed my arms, and returned his look. "I'm not afraid of you, Gaara."

A look crossed his face, and sand pooled around him. "And now?"

"Not a chance."

His eyes narrowed. The sand shot forward, and for an instant, I thought it would hit me, but it stopped inches from my face. "You should be running," he grated out.

I held my chin higher. "I am not afraid of you."

"You should be."

Encasing my arm in Chakra, I threw my arm out, knocking into his sand, knocking it away from me. It retaliated instantly, and I dodged backward, using my arm as a shield. The sand broke through the shield, and wrapped around my arm, squeezing. And my eyes never left his. "If you're going to do it, then do it."

The sand tightened, and I could hear him audibly growl. "Don't provoke me again."

"Then stop pretending to be something you're not!" Sand surrounded all sides of me, not touching, just creating a wall so that all I could see was him and sand. "And stop trying your scare tactics already. If you were going to kill me, you'd have done it by now."

His eyes twitched, and the sand rushed forward, closing around me with an inch or two of air between me and the sand. Like, a warm blanket, almost. "The only reason I haven't killed you yet is because I find your naivete mildly amusing."

"Liar," I breathed.

A small shake of his head. "You don't know how to quit when you're behind, do you?"

"As far as I'm concerned, I'm not behind."

"You're the one contained."

"Am I?"

Again, his eyes twitched. "I'm not contained."

"You contain yourself." A dark look, and he started to say something, but I overrode him. "You contain yourself in a facade, pretending to be cold and unfeeling, pretending to be the monster everyone sees you as. Well, Gaara," I paused, letting that sink in, "does it piss you off that someone sees through that facade?" I paused again. "Or does it just scare you?"

A rough growl, and the sand tightened until it was finally touching me. "Keep talking, and-"

"And what? You'll crush me? Kill me?" I lifted my chin again. "If you were going to do that, you'd have done it already. And besides, if I am behind, as you put it," I tilted my head, "is there truly anything I can do to stop you from killing me?" A look passed over his face. "To tell you the truth, Gaara," my voice softened, "I have no desire to kill you."

The sand loosened, and there was a small tremor in him that I almost missed.

"If I did, I would fight back, but I stand here, and let your sand take over. Here I stand, helpless. Weak. Vulnerable. I'm laying myself bare to you, letting you take control of the situation, because in all honestly, if I wanted to break free, I could. Do you know what's stopping me?"

He didn't answer.

"You are, and not in the way you think. I know you're not going to kill me." I moved my arm, and the sand parted to allow me to do so. Displaying my arm, I could see the small scrape where he'd wounded me. I showed it to him. "If last night didn't prove that, this does. This is how I know you aren't going to kill me. Look closely. That scrape is barely even bleeding. You could've done worse, but you didn't."

"Your belief in me is based on the fact I can do worse, but I haven't yet? That's a pitiful belief."

"No, it's really not, because I just proved point two." I stepped forward, and the sand parted. "And now point three." I stepped forward again, away from the sand. "If you were going to kill me, you wouldn't have let me go. You wouldn't have scraped. You would have crushed, killed, demolished. I know the power inside you, and I know," I reached for him, and he took a step back, not in time to prevent my hand from touching down on his chest, brushing his crossed arms, "I know the heart inside you isn't as cold and dead as you think it is. As you pretend it is."

His eyes flashed down to the hand on his chest, then up to my eyes. There was a pained, confused look on his face as I heard a dry rustling sound. Sand returned to the gourd, but he said nothing. He didn't move, didn't attempt to move my hand, or to back away. Just stood there, staring at me. "Why?" he asked finally, in a breathless, rough voice.

I moved my hand away. "Because," I smiled, tilting my head, "you're my friend. Even if you hate me, even if you kill me, you're always going to be my friend." I turned away. "And that's how I know you're not going to kill me," I said softly. "I know you've got things to think over, so I'm going to walk away, and let this go for now. I think I'll break back into Sasuke's apartment and get my gown, or just go home and sneak in. I don't know." I shrugged. "The world is open for my exploration, and someday," I looked back at him, "you're going to feel that, too." With that, I took off, running as fast as I could. I didn't care where I went, I just knew that he needed time, and I knew what that meant.


	19. Revival of The Past

"A-at least you have your mom back, right?" Hinata asked me.

I nodded. "Yea, I guess, but . . . it feels so weird."

"You seemed a bit off lately," Kiba agreed. "I mean, since she got here, but also since you were kidnaped and brought back here. Still don't have any memories of being gone?"

I shook my head. "None," I said softly. Part of me felt like I was lying, but I wasn't. . . . Was I?"

"If I ever find out who took you, they better hide!" Akamaru barked at that, and he petted his head. "Stupid bastards, taking my friend!"

Leaning against his shoulder, I smiled. "It's just nice to have moments like this, with you guys. I rarely get them since we were put on teams and everything."

He wrapped his arm around me. "I miss you, too."

"Me too," Hinata smiled, reaching her hand out to place it on my leg. "And if there's anything you need to talk about, we're here."

She must've sensed it. I sighed. "My mom wants me to behave like nothing happened. It's just, driving me insane. She wants me to call her 'Mama' again, like nothing's changed. When I lapse, she gives me a look and reprimands me. She's taken to tying me to the chair so I don't slouch–I don't slouch, do I?"

Kiba shook his head. "Not that I've noticed."

"You have the best posture of this group," Hinata added. "And you're always sitting straight in chairs. So, no, you don't slouch."

"Well, she thinks I do. And I've had to relearn all these weird things that were once second nature to me. Like, what fork to use when, and what spoon to place on what side, and what to do with finger bowls, and gowns, and walking, and the servants. Oh, the servants. She just acts like they're her . . . pets. No, not even that. More like tools. She never smiles at them or says thank you, and I know I was never like that. I remember sneaking them jewelry for certain things they did for me. My dad even bought me a stash of good jewelry to reward them with."

"Well, you're not like your mom. Even Ino says your mom seems icy. Your mom just has a lot of pride."

"My mom is different from what I remember, though. At least, I think she is." I made a face. "I'm really not sure. I don't know if I had delusional, candy-coated memories of her, but she's not like what I'd pictured." I sighed. "Of course, I'm no longer that child anymore. Maybe I'm the one who's changed. I'm not used to having a parent tell me what to do, or how to do it. Maybe that's just it." Shrug. "I don't know."

"She wants to take you from here, doesn't she?" Hinata asked softly.

I nodded, looking down at my bed. This cottage, it may be small, but it's always been home to me. I'd never felt out of my element here. Since the day of arriving, I immediately fell in love with it. My room, though I'd never really gotten around to really decorating it, it was nice. Log walls, a wood bedframe, and black covers and pillows, it was nice. I loved it. The carpet on the floor wasn't as plush and soft and luxurious as the one my mom was so fond of, but it was . . . better, really, in its imperfections. I'd worn paths out in this carpet, I'd walked it so many times.

"She wants to take me back to Hoshigakure."

Kiba's arm tightened. "No way, I won't let her! I'll hide you first!"

"I'm not going." They both stared at me. "I mean, I know it's going to be a fight, but I'm dedicated to finding a way to stay. I know it's not really home for me, and maybe I'm betraying my own people by being here, but I feel like I'd be betraying this village, my friends here, if I just upped and left. I've learnt so much from this village, from the ninja here, and from the people here. It would be like all I really was was a spy. I've been here too long now to just walk away." A sigh. "I don't want to leave."

"We don't want you to leave." Hinata bounced on my bed slightly, and I could sense her rising tension. "You're my best friend. You–I don't stutter around you, n-not as much, anyway. I-I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Wither up and fade away, probably," Kiba joked, poking her leg. "But at least we'd still be friends. I wouldn't leave you just because Starlight's not here."

She smiled slightly. "Thanks, Kiba."

I sighed. "Hey, at least you're on the same team as each other. I got stuck with Uchiha." A smaller sigh. "But, I guess he's not that bad. Not anymore. Starting to see eye to eye with him, I guess."

"Well, that's good. It's going to be needed for the Chuunin Exams."

"True," I sighed again. "I guess I better get back to the manor. I have to get ready for the friggin' ball tonight."

"Hey, we'll be there. Once you get bored of it," Kiba grinned, "look us up. We'll be the matching couple."

Standing in the middle of the room, watching everyone dance around me, I felt lost. This was a world I'd been born into, yet I felt like I was a foreigner in all this. This, it wasn't my world. It wasn't what I wanted to be doing right now. Not in any way.

Looking around, the room was filled with people dressed in formal gowns and suits, with masks covering their faces. Many people I could recognize just by their hair color, others by their mannerisms. Bored, I spun, watching the end of the gown fly up and circle around me. It was the most entertainment I'd had in the past hour.

After a minute or two, I stopped, staring up at the ceiling to take advantage of the post-spin feeling. Always liked that feeling. When I looked down, I saw someone standing a bit away from me, watching with a slightly tilted head.

He wore a crimson, long-sleeved shirt under a black formal vest, black pants, and black shoes, along with a mask. I didn't need the hair, or even the eyes, to identify him. He wore a familiar, crimson star around his neck.

I smiled. "You came."

Silent, he moved toward me, stopping a few inches from me, eyes meeting mine.

I reached out, touching the necklace resting lightly on his chest. "You still have it." Meeting his eyes, I smiled wider. "And you still have beautiful eyes, you know that?"

No reaction. He was watching me closely, maybe waiting on something. I'm not sure. He just stood there, watching me, before finally reaching his left hand out.

Glancing down at his hand, I tilted my head, but started to lay my hand in his.

He turned his hand upside down. "Not that hand."

"Not a handshake, then?"

A small shake of his head. He turned his hand upward, palm facing the ceiling. Waiting.

Confused, I lay my right hand in his.

He wrapped his other arm around me, resting his fingertips on my waist, stepping in to place the left side of his body against the left side of mine, and I got the idea.

A small smile tugging at the corners of my mouth, I reached up, placing my hand lightly on his shoulder. I wanted to say something, anything, but I also wanted to stay as silent as he was. There was something that needed said, though. . . . I waited a second, before I felt his body start to move, then I said, "F-for the record, I haven't danced like this in a long time."

A small twitch of his lips. "Just follow my lead," is all he said before he stepped forward.

I stepped backward, feeling a bit nervous. "I-if I step on you-" I stopped, swallowed hard, and nodded. "Okay."

And it began. Him leading, me following. I tripped over the hem of my gown a few times, but the arm around me tightened, keeping me steady. It was beginning to come back to me, to get easier, and easier.

Until he dipped me, and I tightened my fingers around his shoulder, clutching his hand, letting out a small gasp. My pulse rose, but I went with it, not missing the small smile. We resumed the easy part for a few steps, until he whispered, "Spin out, spin in," and spun me outward, away from him, hand still holding onto mine.

My pulse sped, but I followed through, tripping slightly on my hem, and let instinct take over as I spun back in. I ended with my back to his chest, his hand now placed lightly on the front side of my waist. Our other arms, still lightly together, were held out. "Spin toward me," he said softly, lifting the hand holding mine above my head.

I remembered this part. I spun toward him, feeling the gown collide against his legs, and placed my hand once more on his shoulder. Resuming normal movements, the music started to crescendo, signaling the end of the current song, therefore the end of the current dance. I was proud of myself for not once stepping on his toes.

He slowed as the music slowed, and I followed his lead, stopping when he stopped. At the very end of the song, he dipped me over his arm.

And like before, my fingers tightened around his shoulder, and his hand, and I caught my breath. This time, however, I was aware of myself enough to notice that every female had been dipped. The music ended, and he lifted me back up, slowly letting his hands drop away from me. He backed away, bowing slightly.

"You've been practicing," I commented, a bit breathless.

I didn't miss the small smile that flashed across his face when he straightened. "And you haven't."

I made a face. "Oh, shush. I haven't had reason to."

"And I have?"

That answer made me purse my lips, narrowing my eyes. "Gr, is all I have to say to that."

He reached up, lifting my mask away from my face. "I like this better."

A small, half-smile. "It's not like the mask really stops anyone from being able to recognize me."

A small smile. "That's not a bad thing," he said softly, completely removing my mask.

"What about yours?"

"Maybe I need it."

My brows rose. "Why? To pretend you're not really here?" I reached up, touching his mask.

He grabbed my wrists, eyes flashing on mine. "Why do you want it off?"

"Why did you want mine off?"

A moment passed, and he dropped his hands slowly, nodding slightly. "Go ahead."

I lifted it off his face, over his head. "That's better. At least, I think so."

A small smile. "You might be the only one."

"What? Afraid to cause mass panic?" I teased. Without waiting for an answer, I surged forward, throwing my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "Thanks for coming, though. Mass panic be damned." I paused, then whispered softly, "And I'm not letting go until you hug me back."

A tense moment, a sigh, and he reached up to hug me back slowly.

"Oh, good enough." My voice was soft, teasing, as I pushed away from him. "Next time, try not to be hard as a stone, yes? It's not like relaxing a bit into a hug is going to kill you. I'm not going to let you fall." I smiled, tilting my head slightly. "Like I know you wouldn't let me."

"How do you know that?" he asked softly.

"Because," I paused, "you've never let me fall."

He reached for my arm, holding it up, running his other hand over the small scrape. "I hurt you." His voice was still soft, eyes conflicted as he stared at the scrape.

I shrugged, looking down at it. "No, not really. I did it to myself when I knocked into your sand. And I would do it all over again, if it meant getting through your thick head."

"Why?"

"I answered that before, didn't I? You're my friend. Whether you like it or not." I tapped his shoulder lightly. "You're stuck with me, big guy."

A small smile, a sigh. "I think I can live with that." His eyes slid to the side. "We have company approaching."

I followed his eyes, seeing someone approach. He wore a white shirt under a dark blue vest, and a black overcoat, black slacks, and black shoes. The black mask hid most of his face, but I knew that walk. "Oh. It's just Sasuke."

I didn't miss the dark look that passed over his face. "Never did like him."

"But you remember him." I bumped his shoulder with mine. "So at least I know I didn't hallucinate you being around back then."

"Not at all," he said softly. He turned. "I'll let you speak with him."

"You don't have to retreat."

"I'd rather not interfere."

"You-uh." A thought popped up. "Does it have to do with the other day, when we were walking?"

Nothing except a small flash of something in his eyes.

"Whatever you're thinking, trust me, it's not it. It was just, the whole no sleeping for days at a time, and then finally just crashing because of it all. Trust me, we still fight like we used to."

A small smile. "Be that as it may, I will let you deal with him. I'll be around."

"Want your mask back?"

He glanced at it, shook his head. "No. Keep it." He held mine up. "And I'll keep yours."

I nodded, smiling. "All right, fine, but I'm going to wear yours."

A shrug. "Go ahead."

"Really? No reaction? Oh, blah to you, too."

A small smile, and he glanced back at the approaching Uchiha. "I'll talk to you later." He waded into the crowd.

I turned just in time to see him approaching. "Hi there, you. Didn't think you'd show."

He shrugged. "Had nothing better to do." His eyes flashed toward where Gaara had disappeared to. "I see you've made up your differences."

"Something like that." I glanced in that direction, then back up at black eyes. "So, nice suit."

He smiled slightly, holding his hand out to me. "How about we take a walk?"

I shrugged, laying my hand in his. "Sure, why not? Anything to get out of this dance." I scowled at the room. "I hate this."

"Brings back memories," he said softly, leading me away. In silence, he led the way through the crowded room, toward the double doors that led to the balcony. He pulled me out, onto the balcony, then shut the doors behind us. Letting go of my hand, he moved toward the railing, leaning against it as he looked up.

I moved toward him, leaning my hip against the fencing around the balcony. A few minutes passed in silence, and I had the feeling he was thinking something, so I let it remain silent.

Tick, tick, tick, tick. . . .

"Ever wonder about the future? What it holds, what you become?"

I nodded.

"What do you see yourself becoming?"

"A Ninja strong enough to avenge my family. I see myself finding my sisters, and living with them again, and protecting them, like I couldn't before."

"Do you see yourself here, or Hoshigakure?"

I looked away, becoming silenced for a minute. "I'm not sure, really," I said softly. "I feel torn regarding that. I mean, Hoshigakure is my homeland, where I belong, truly belong. Then there's here, and all my friends, and I belong here, too. I've been here so long now, and learnt so much from this place, and gained so much from everyone here. But . . . I was born there. I belong there. I know I do. Even if there's a part of me that will always, always," I looked around, seeing the forest, the trees, the village belong and around us, "long to belong here."

He placed one hand over my hand. "You do belong here," he said softly, "but you also belong there. I can't make that decision for you," he met my eyes, and I could only see his black eyes through the mask. "All I can really tell you is, I support whatever decision you make, and I'll be there for you every step of the way. Even if you decide to leave, even if you never return here," he looked around, then back to me, "I'm going to help you through it all."

I smiled. "Thanks for that. That actually . . . helps a bit."

"I do have to say, though. . . . I don't want you to go. I'd prefer it if you stay here, but I'm not going to stand in your way. If you ever find yourself living with your mother, in Hoshigakure, and decide that it's just not the life you want, my closet's always open."

My smile widened. "I might take you up on that," I said softly. "I did say I felt like I belong in Hoshigakure. I did not, however, say that I was ready to leave just yet." I could see one brow lower. "I'm not going to go with my mother," I said softly. "I am just not ready to go back yet. I still have more to learn, and more to be, here. I'm not ready to go home. I'm staying here."

Slowly, he reached up, sliding the mask over his face, dropping it on the balcony floor. "You–staying?" He had a very shocked look on his face.

I nodded. "Yeah."

A sigh, his eyes closed slowly. "Good, I'm not sure if I was really going to be able to let you leave."

That startled a laugh from me. "What, have you gotten used to having someone make you miserable?"

"You don't make me miserable." His voice was soft. "I actually find it enjoyable to have you around, and I'd be very . . . bored without you."

"You could always stowaway," I whispered conspiratorially. "I mean, there's always that secret compartment under the seat. By the time anyone got thirsty enough to check it, we'd be too far gone for them to send you back."

He laughed. "I could just follow you on horseback. I'm sure Bolt still remembers the way there."

"And if I remember correctly, my closet was big enough for you to live there, and who'd look in my closet, besides my maids? I'd just bribe them."

"Pft," he scoffed. "There are plenty of guest rooms, and that guest house your friends used to stay at."

I laughed, shook my head. "Oh, Gods, we could really do all that. That's the sad part. Hey, did I ever show you the secret room daddy built for me and my twins? I could always hide you in there. He put a bathroom, a kitchen, and everything we'd need in there. Once, Sunny, Silv, and I hid in there for a month. We were avoiding the balls mom loved to throw."

He laughed at that. "No, you never showed me, but I can just imagine. I remember how your father would always help you escape. He could come up with the strangest plots."

I laughed again, sinking to sit on the floor, then staring up at him. "I miss all that, I do, but . . . I can't leave yet."

He knelt, smiling. "Good, because I can't leave, either." He reached toward me, cupping my cheek. "And I'm glad you're not leaving."

I smiled. "Not yet, anyway. Not yet. Too much to do."

He looked away, kneeling before me, staring out into the forested area. Several minutes passed, before he asked, "What is it you have to do, before you leave?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure. I just know, I'm not ready to leave yet. And . . . I really don't want to think about it much."

"You're going to have to," he said softly. "Think about it, I mean."

"Why?"

"Because you're going to have to figure out a way to stay, rather than to be forced to leave."

I shrugged, having already realized that. "I know, I know." It made me feel a bit . . . impatient, rushed, really. I stood, whirling around to pace. "I don't even know how I'm going to say it, or what I'm going to say, or how I'm going to convince her. She seems so . . . ready, so willing to force me out. Like, she's almost maniacal in it, you know?"

"I noticed," he said softly, "but I can't blame her." I head him stand, but I stopped with my back to him, leaning the front of my body against the side railing, staring up. "She wants the family she had back, Starlight." His voice was soft, gentle. Sad. "And I know how that feels, I do, but . . . I can't," his voice gradually got closer and softer, until I felt him standing right behind me, "I can't let you go yet."

I sighed, and felt my own body fall against the railing. "I don't want to go yet, either." A moment passed, and a hand appeared beside my left one, then another beside my right. I could feel him almost against my back. A few silent seconds passed as I ignored the feel in my chest. "Um, if you're trying to hug me, you're doing it wrong."

"Maybe I'm just waiting," he said softly.

I sighed again, shrugged, and leaned back, trying to get him to back up a bit. Not enough room. At least, that was what I'd meant to do at first, but leaning against him felt rather . . . nice. It made me smile a bit, and I let myself lean against him. "Waiting for what?" I was still holding onto the railing as I asked, but as I watched his hands, he grabbed my wrists, pulling my hands off the rail, pulling them inward as he wrapped his own arms–and mine, as he held my wrists–around me.

"Something like this."

I scoffed. "Still doing it wrong."

A moment passed, and using my wrists, he twirled me around, pushing me back against the railing. It was a quick motion that left my head spinning.

In the next moment, I was staring up into black, long-lashed eyes, and a hand was cupping my chin. His other hand was leaning against the rail, at my waist, close enough to touch. There was maybe an inch or two between us. Somewhere in the spinning motion and the backwards shove, I'd ended up grabbing onto the front of his shirt, probably accidentally dragging him with me as I stumbled backward.

I slowly let go of his shirt. "W-why did you do that?"

He leant in closer, eyes locked on mine. "This was what I was waiting for." His voice was soft, barely audible.

I reached up, grabbing the wrist of the hand cupping my chin, and attempted to pus his hand away, trying to shake my head free of his hand. My voice shook when I spoke next. "W-waiting?"

He leant closer, far too close. It made me squirm, and he stopped with barely an inch between his mouth and mine. His eyes locked on mine, softened with the edge of a deep, deep taunt. "Scared?" His voice matched those eyes.

My throat felt swollen, and my chest was tight. I felt like my lungs had frozen. I tried to move away again, but his hand merely tightened. "Don't," I whispered.

The warning seemed to fuel the taunt within his eyes, as though being warned only amused him. He hovered a moment more, then lowered slowly.

I gave one last feeble attempt to move back, to pull his hand away, before his lips touched mine lightly. I jerked slightly, taking a sharp, deep breath, and the hand that was wrapped around the rail moved to his chest. I started to push, then stopped when he moved in just slightly, pressing his lips firmly to mine. His free arm wrapped around my waist, and he pulled me in closer as he stepped in, effectively trapping me between him and the corner where rail met wall.

I squirmed, struggling, trying to push him away enough to flee.

It's . . . different, I thought to myself, this feeling. . . . His lips were soft, and warm, and supple, against my own. His hand slowly trailed around my jaw, to cup the back of my head lightly. After a moment, his fingers wound into my hair, and he pulled down sharply, forcing my face up toward his more, lips coming against his snugly. The yank forced a gasp from me, a small sound, and I realized I'd slowly stopped struggling. Now I was nearly clinging, and the thought made me squirm more, only to find my legs were shaking.

He yanked downward sharply again, causing another gasp, and I felt the soft, moist tip of his tongue glide against my lower lip.

It was that feeling, that moment, when I was forcibly brought back to my senses. I jerked back, found myself unable to, and, in an instant of desperation, I bit him. My fangs sank into his lower lip. I instantly tasted blood.

He made a small sound, like a yelp almost, and drew back just enough that I could see him dab his bloodied lip with his tongue. He did not release my hair, or back his body away from mine. "Did you–did you just bite me?"

I glared up at him, shoving him back. Finally, he responded, taking two started steps back. "Yes, and I'll do it again!" I fell against the railing, gripping it with tense, mottled hands to hide the fact that I still felt shaky.

He brushed his lower lip with the back of his wrist. The blood didn't show up on the black sleeve. "Why?"

"I don't know who you are, or who you think you are," I growled, "but I know one thing for sure–Uchiha would never do that!"

He blinked, staring at me as he dabbed his still bloody lip. "You-you think I'm pretending to be-"

"Stay there," I snapped as he took a step closer. "I'm not afraid to-"

It was a blur. One second, he was standing a couple feet from me, and the next–I was against the railing, pressed against it hard enough it hurt. His hand was in my hair, at the nape of my neck, forcing me to stare up at him. My heart was pounding–when had he gotten that fast? His eyes were burning, amused and angered at the same time. "I don't think there's anyone alive who would dare to pretend to be me, just to kiss you. And if there was," his eyes flashed, "I'd kill them myself."

"He-you-whatever would never do this. Not a chance in hell!"

"Well," his eyes slid to the side slyly, "you do know the taste of my blood, so you tell me if I am who I say I am or not."

"How do I-"

Without waiting for me to finish my sentence, his lips pressed to mine firmly. And he was right, I did know that taste. It was familiar, though I wasn't sure where I knew it from. Burning, like fire, it burnt against my tongue. It burnt my throat. And I remembered where I knew it from.

I jerked away, pushing at him again. "All this time, you led me to believe it was a clan recipe! It was your blood?!"

He shrugged. "Not entirely, but, yes, that was in there."

"W-why!?"

"Your father told me about it, about your abilities with blood, and I used it with an old family recipe. It upped its abilities, and healed you every time." He gave me a look. "How did you think you healed that wound within seconds of waking up?"

"Y-you made me drink your–ugh!" I drew back, slapping him with everything I had.

He stumbled back a step, dabbing at the reopened wound at his lip. "I'm wondering, though. Your father said that blood effected you oddly. Something about you gaining power, abilities, or something like that." He studied me a moment. "Makes me wonder just how much of an honorary member you are at this point."

A low growl slipping out, I raised my hand again, and swung.

He grabbed my wrist, reaching forward to grab my other wrist in a flash. In an instant, I was pinned against the side of the house, next to the double doors. "I let you hit me the first time. The second time, you won't be so lucky."

I growled at him. "You didn't let me hit you, you pompous-"

"Watch it," he growled. "I'm starting to think you actually like me."

"Where in the hell would you get that impression? You arrogant-"

Warm, soft, moist lips were suddenly against mine. It caught me off guard, and my words died on my lips. The taste of his blood against my lips made me pause, hesitate a bit. It burnt, but without the addition of the herbal remedy he'd added in before, it was . . . good.

From there, I was lost against it, against the taste of him, against the feel. My eyes closed, and I leant toward him.

He slowly ran his hands down my arms, down the sides of my chest, down to my waist, where he wrapped one arm around me, and ran his other hand back up to tangle in my hair.

I dropped my own arms, hesitantly placing them on his shoulders, and curled my hands into fists around his jacket. A small sound fell from me, and I felt his lips vibrate a second before he chuckled.

His arm tightened around me, pulling me closer, hand in my hair yanking downward sharply, causing another sound to fall from me.

"H-hey, wha-Sa-Sasuke?" The voice was familiar, but in my muddled mind, far away.

He pulled away from me quickly, jerking as he did, and I caught the annoyed look on his face.

Leaning heavily against the wall, I turned my eyes toward the door, where a familiar pink-haired girl stood. She wasn't wearing a mask. She was glaring at me, eyes flashing between me and my companion, between pained and anger. "Wha-what's going on?"

My legs were shaking, and for once, I thanked the Gods up above that I was wearing a full, long gown that fell to the floor, because I didn't want him to know I'd been affected that way. I didn't want me to know I'd been affected like this.

"We were talking," he said softly.

"T-talking? Talking? That didn't look like talking to me!"

"I don't see how it's any of your business," he said coolly.

I didn't miss the pained look that crossed her face. "Beca-Because we're a team, an-and I should know when things . . . change."

"Just because we're a team doesn't mean I have to inform anyone of my personal business." His voice was chilly. "It's nobody else's business but my own."

"Bu-but we're supposed to–I was. . . ." Her eyes turned to me, and if looks could kill? Ooh, I'd be so dead. "Ino told me she saw you coming out of his apartment. She said you were wearing his clothes, and you were disheveled. Is-is this what was happening? Were you two talking then, too?"

"More or less," he answered for me. "She doesn't have to explain or defend herself to you, or to anyone else."

"She-"

"She is welcome in my place any time she wants, for any reason she wants. She doesn't have to go through you or anyone else for that."

"But she-"

"Doesn't need to explain herself," he repeated, "and I'm not saying it again."

She made an irritative sound, almost like a hmph, turned, and left, slamming the doors behind her.

"You know what she thinks we were doing, don't you?" he asked me, not looking at me.

"Kissing?"

"I meant at my apartment."

"I assumed she thinks I spent the night, which I really didn't. I just napped."

He chuckled. "She thinks you and I did much more than spend the night together." He looked toward me now, eyes both amused and annoyed. "She thinks there's a different reason you left wearing my clothes."

I tilted my head slightly. "Because the gown was uncomfortable? I didn't have much choice. Besides, she was in the carriage when we told her I was going to change. Remember?"

He chuckled again, shaking his head. "If you don't understand what I'm getting at, I'm not explaining it." He turned away. "Would you like to dance, or would you prefer to stay out here?"

"Stay out here," I answered quickly. A look crossed his face, and he stepped closer to me. I tried to step back, forgetting I was against the wall already, holding one hand out. "Th-that's not what I meant."

He grabbed my hand and yanked me toward him, making me fall against him. One arm wound around my waist. "Maybe it's what I meant."

I pushed at him. "I-I don't think it's a good idea."

Chuckling, he let me go slowly. "Fine. We need to talk anyway."

"About?" I backed away until my back hit the wall again.

He looked down at the floor for a moment, before replying with, "I want to talk to you about the contract. About us, in general."

I froze. "Is . . . is that what the kiss is all about? You wanted me to–you w-ugh!" I surged forward, pulling my fist back. I struck, as hard as I could.

He caught my fist. "Let me finish!" He spun me around, until I was facing the railing, pinning my hand there so I couldn't move. Moving behind me, he wrapped his other hand around my freed wrist, pinning it to the railing, standing behind me. "Just, listen to me, okay?" he asked, voice soft.

"Talk fast," I growled.

"I used the contract as a way to bring the topic up, and maybe that was the wrong way to go about it, but it's not about that." He hesitated, I could feel his body tense for a moment. "It's a little about that, but just listen, and let me explain. My family wrote up that contract, thinking it was what was best for me, and for my family, and I think, I know, I owe it to them to . . . give it a chance, to just try to-"

"You said you wouldn't force me to-"

"I'm not! Just listen to me. Let me finish." He waited a second before continuing with, "In most instances, with contracts like the one you and I have between us, they allow for a six month courtship period. I looked it up. I say, we give it a try, see if we can . . . make it work. I owe it to my family, and you owe it to yours, to just try."

"So, what?" I growled. "You want to make your family proud by trying this?"

"That's part of it, I won't lie," he said softly, "but not all of it."

"Talk faster," I growled.

"Is it so hard to believe that maybe I want to try it, too? Maybe it's not just the contract, maybe I'm as confused about it all as you are. Maybe even more so. Maybe, just maybe, I want to try it out between us to know if it's obligation toward my family I feel with you, or if it's more. I want to try it, being with you."

The word "confused" stopped me. "W-what do you mean?"

He sighed. "I need to know if what I feel toward you is obligation, or if it's just me, and just you. I think I owe it to myself to find out if it's more." He slowly let my wrists go. "Turn around."

I hesitated.

"Turn around."

I turned, avoiding his eyes. "What is it you want from me?"

"I want the truth. Star," he reached up, cupping my chin, bumping my eyes up to his, "when I kissed you, I know you felt something. I felt it, in your response." A small, wry, half smile. "I heard it, when you made that cute little moan."

My face flushed. "I-I didn't!"

A humorless chuckle. "Star, I heard you."

"I-I did not-you-!"

He brushed his thumb across my lower lip, and I felt my chest tighten, a small sound falling from me. He smiled. "Kinda like that." He tilted my chin upward a bit, forcing my eyes up to his again. "Did you, you know, feel anything?"

My eyes slid away from his, toward the side, toward the forest, face flushing more. "I-I don't know-"

"I just need to know, Star," he said softly.

"Why do you have to know so badly?" My voice was breathy, soft.

"Please."

I met his eyes, and it was the softened look that made me say, "I-I felt . . . something."

"And now?" He bent lower, lips hovering over mine, eyes locked on mine.

My chest felt tight. There was a tingly feel at the nape of my neck, running down my spine. It made me feel warm, and tingly, like I was quaking on the inside. My head felt light, yet heavy, like there was a whirlpool inside my brain. My knees were shaking so badly, I had to lean against the rail behind me, and once again, I was glad there was a long, thick skirt concealing my quaking legs. I nodded slowly. At least, it felt slow to me.

He chuckled, hand tightening around my chin as he straightened. "Your pupils dilated, breathing sped." A small sound, almost like half a chuckle, half a sigh. "I can feel you trembling."

"I-I am–I'm cold," I defended.

"Cold?" He ran his hands down my arms. "Goose bumps, yet your body is warm, hot even."

I glared at him, but couldn't manage to meet his eyes for long. "I-I am–I'm just-"

"Just admit it, Star." He cupped my cheek, thumb stroking my lower lip. "Admit that you're trembling. Admit how you feel. And maybe," he smirked, "I'll let you go."

"Liar." My voice was breathless still.

"True." His eyes lit up. "I'm not going to let you go, because I find this amusing."

I glared at him, but found myself still unable to meet his eyes.

"Of course, if you are cold," his voice was mocking as he stripped his outer suit jacket off, "it would be rude of me to not help you warm up." His eyes had the same mocking glint. He threw his jacket over my shoulders, pulling it around me.

I grabbed the lapels of the jacket, clinging to it, mostly to give myself something else to focus on.

"You're welcome," he said pointedly.

"Oh. Um, yes, uh. Thanks." I snapped my eyes up to his, still shying away from meeting his eyes head on. "I-I think, um, we should go inside."

He smiled slightly. "If that's what you want. . . ." His voice suggested it was not what I wanted.

I nodded, a little too fast. "It is. Really. I-I want to go inside." After a second of thought, I shrugged his jacket off, handing it back to him. "H-here."

He took it, pulled it back on, then took my hand into his, pulling me toward the door. "In that case," he said softly, "let's dance."

"D-dance?"

"What's wrong? Afraid to trip?"

I tugged at my hand. "Sasuke, I-I haven't danced in so long, I barely remember how to."

He shot me a look. "I saw you dancing earlier. You seemed to do fine then."

"Then you weren't looking too closely," I said softly. "I kept tripping."

"I'll catch you." He'd pulled me to the thicket of dancing, turning toward me to pull me into him. "I still remember how to dance, and I didn't grow up with it being taught to me religiously." He wrapped one arm around my waist, pulling me into the same position I'd been in earlier. Closer, this time.

I set my hand lightly on his shoulder, pushing lightly. "We-we're a bit close, aren't we?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. Just trust me. Okay?" He smiled, and, for an instant, I was reminded of how he'd been as a kid.

It made me hesitate, then say, "Okay."

And he started to pull me with him, dancing slowly at first, then faster, arm around my waist keeping me steady. We were close enough that I could lay my head against his shoulder, and I did just that. Leaning against him, we danced, and I actually really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the feeling of security I felt from him, the safety. It felt . . . nice.

Until I saw angry eyes from across the room.


End file.
